Protecting Your Business Logo: A Guide for New Business Owners

When you are in the development stages of starting your own business, there are going to be a lot of original ideas and new abstracts brought to fruition, and all of this will become part of your business brand. One of the things you will likely develop, whether you do so on your own or with a design team, is going to be a business logo. A business logo is the graphic or symbol you will eventually use to remind customers who you are, so this seemingly small thing is incredibly valuable property. Here is a closer look at a few of the most common questions and answers about protecting the logo developed for a new business. 

How do you actually protect your logo once it is fully developed?

The easiest way to protect your logo is by having the logo trademarked. Trademarking is a fairly simple legal process that basically ends with you having a record to show that you are the original developer and owner, by all rights, to the logo. Of course, applying for a trademark on this type of intellectual property should always be a task that you talk to a trademark attorney, such as one from Lingbeck Law Office, about to help you through the process because things can get fairly complicated. 

How do you know a logo is not already a part of someone else's business?

It has been said that there are no more original ideas, and this can often apply to intellectual business property like logos or even symbols. This can be rather disconcerting when you are trying to establish your own business logo and brand. One of the greatest advantages of working with a trademark attorney is the fact that they can help you determine whether there is a logo out there already owned and trademarked that is similar to the one you have created. Even if something too similar is found, you can usually make slight changes in shape or design to make your logo eligible for a new trademark. 

Why is it so important to have your logo trademarked for your business?

It may seem like an odd thing to go to such great lengths to protect something as small as your new business logo with a trademark, but this is actually really important. Your business logo becomes the visual representation of your company and what it is about. It is what customers or clients will eventually see and automatically associate with your services. If your logo is not trademarked, any other business owner could step in and claim they created the logo first and get a trademark on the idea themselves. Such an event could lead to a great deal of confusion among your customers if they start to see your logo associated with something else or some other product.