The Law Office of Jambah Kollie

A friendly reminder The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will increase a number of filing fees (including the fee for registered trademarks) in just a few weeks. If you’ve been thinking about securing a federal trademark, we suggest getting it done before prices go up .

As a business owner, you may have been advised by someone to trademark your brand identifiers within your state. Although this option may seem appealing, it’s very unlikely that this is the best option for your business. Here’s why: There are actually three types of trademarks and their scope of protection all vary. Common Law trademarks are established once you begin using your brand identifier (name, logo, slogan, tag line, etc.) in commerce, meaning, once you begin doing ...business. You may begin using the symbol immediately, no application necessary, to show your intention of invoking common law trademark protection. However, the drawback here is that common law trademarks only protect you in a limited geographic scope. This is usually limited to your town, city, or county, and can sometimes extend to your entire state, but that’s it. A common law trademark will not prevent another business from using your name, logo, or slogan outside of that specific geographic area. With a State Trademark, you know you are covered within your entire state and will also be able to reap the benefits and remedies provided by your state statute. This type of trademark does not prevent competitors from using your brand identifier outside of your state or online in e-commerce. Finally, the holy grail Federal Trademark will protect you in all 50 states and in e-commerce. Once your trademark is federally registered, you may begin using the symbol to show your exclusive right to use the trademark throughout the country. You will be able to reap the benefits and remedies of the federal statute should someone infringe on your mark and you will also have obtained a growing asset that will not only protect your business, but increase its value, both monetarily and in the public eye.

Let’s talk money & trademarks Did you know trademark monetization is a thing? Your trademark is an asset that you absolutely can and should earn money from. How so? Well firstly, you can license your trademark to other companies. As the owner of a trademark, you can allow other companies to use that name, slogan, tag line etc. that you created and own, and you can charge them to do so. ... Second, you can also leverage the value of your trademark to attract financing from sources like investors. Because your trademark increases in value as your brand builds equity and becomes more recognized, you can utilize your trademark as a selling point when trying to secure funds. Next, a trademark helps increase your brand recognition which will likely equate to more customers. By owning your trademark, you can prevent other brands from utilizing the same or confusingly similar names, logos, tag lines, slogans, and more.. this way, all of your potential customers will know to patronage you and not the brand they could potentially confuse you with. And finally, you can sell your trademark if and when you’re no longer using it. Like I said before, that trademark holds weight. All of that said, business owners, it’s time to stop looking at a registered trademark like a business expense and start to look at it like a smart business investment.

With the holiday photography season in tow, we want to make sure all of our photographer friends are covered. Of course there are many contract clauses required to ensure the upmost protection for you, your brand, and your work, but here are 3 you don’t want to forget: A Copyright Ownership/Assignment Clause One of the most important in terms of building your brand equity. This clause may differ depending on if you’re shooting for a business (photos they’ll use to make a pr...ofit) or if you’re shooting for an individual. Whichever the case, this clause should clearly identify who will own the copyright to the photos once taken, as well as establish whether a license to utilize the photos in a portfolio or for other advertising/marketing purposes will be maintained or given. A Post-Production & Editing Clause This clause should spell out what postproduction steps you’ll take and what the client can and cannot do (editing-wise)to the photos once produced. This is important because post-editing by someone else has the potential to change the entire aesthetic of your work, something you likely want to control. A Liability Limitation Clause Lastly, you’ll want to include a clause that limits your liability in the event of things beyond your control such as injury, illness, acts of God, or the loss or destruction of files. This is the clause that could save you tons of money in the event that something goes wrong. As always, we’re here to help

Yesterday, small businesses, especially small black businesses, thrived. I’m proud of the way we showed up to support one another. Given the uptick in social media promotion, chances are, if you were a part of that rush, you gained both new customers and new followers. This means one thing: your business is growing! And growing businesses need protection. That’s where we come in. Our Trademark Service will help you protect your brand, your creativity, and your profits. Our ...Black Friday sale on trademarks ends Sunday November 29th at 11:59 pm EST.. so you have less than 48 hours remaining to take advantage. Follow this link and select Black Friday Sale to get started: https://linktr.ee/jambahkollielaw

Our Black Friday Sale is live If you’ve been thinking about securing your brand’s trademark, NOW is the time. End the year knowing all of your hard work, creativity, and profits are protected. Swipe through to learn more > and then share this w/ a business or entrepreneur that you think could use a trademark.... P.S. The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) is slated to increase the price of the filing fee for trademark applications come January 2021. That said, our regular price will increase as well... so don’t miss out on what will probably be the lowest prices we’ll ever offer. www.jambahkollielaw.com/shop-1

When going into a new business, it’s almost always a good idea to keep start up costs low. However, many entrepreneurs make the mistake of waiting too long to trademark their brand, when trademarking should in fact be considered one of the earlier, more essential expenses. Why? Apart from all of the time and effort spent building your brand, you also run the risk of losing and having to spend a lot of unnecessary money if someone trademarks or has already trademarked your brand before you. Check out some of the potential costs associated with NOT trademarking your brand below.