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Central Florida Trademark Lawyer
Helping Clients Trademark Their Intellectual Property
When you are starting or growing a business based on intellectual property, you need the protection that comes from trademark laws. Florida intellectual property law prevents others from taking credit for or profiting from your ideas and hard work. With the time, energy, and talent you’ve put into making your ideas successful, you should have a Central Florida trademark lawyer protecting you.
A trademark office like Lankford Law Firm can give you confidence in knowing your most valuable business assets are covered under state and federal trademark law. We understand the nuances of trademark protection and will fight valiantly should future disputes arise. Our trademark attorney is known for her honest and aggressive stance regarding trademark law. The top attorneys with our law firm have the experience needed to protect your inventions.
Unlike other lawyers in Daytona Beach, FL, we have earned 5/5 stars – based on 30+ reviews from previous and current clients. We will put our talent, knowledge, and experience to work for you. Call our law office for questions regarding trademarks, commercial law, and other business matters that could affect your reputation and profitability. Call 850-888-8992 to schedule a consultation with trademark lawyer Melody Lankford today.
What Is Trademark Law?
A trademark is any word, slogan, or symbol used in commerce to distinguish your goods and services from those of others. In the United States, logo rights begin whenever you start using a specific trademark. However, those intellectual property rights become stronger when you register that symbol with the state or federal government. A trademark registration gives you a legal right to prevent others from using a confusingly similar word, slogan, or symbol (but not to prevent others from offering the same goods or services under another trademark).
Trademarks and patents for interstate and international commerce should be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Still, the process of registering a trademark can be lengthy and complex. You must meet the exact requirements to register a trademark successfully, and once registered, you must take action to protect your trademark by pursuing infringement cases. This is where our legal team can assist you.
Representing and assisting clients throughout Central Florida and Daytona Beach, Attorney Lankford is available to provide clients with help on a range of intellectual property law matters, including trademark registration and legal disputes over trademarks. We’ll offer advice based on your unique situation after going over your circumstances, company, goals, services, and products. We will also meet with you at a convenient time and location, which may be your current place of employment.
If you need help registering a trademark or are involved in a legal dispute over a trademark or logo, our attorneys are here to help. Trust your case to an experienced trademark lawyer and call the law firm of Lankford Law Firm at 850-888-8992 today!
How Do You Get a Trademark, and What Protections Do You Get?
Trademarks are issued by the USPTO for logos, brand names, slogans, and other unique and iconic elements that represent your brand or business. Before starting the application process, your IP lawyer will work with you to evaluate your mark and determine whether the mark would be “protectable” and sufficiently unique.
You will be required to complete an application, which is then reviewed by an examining attorney who works on behalf of the USPTO. If there is an issue present, you will be provided with information on why your application was rejected. Applicants are provided an opportunity to remedy the problem and resubmit.
Once the examining attorney accepts your proposed trademark and application, the USPTO will publish the mark in the Official Gazette, a publication that trademark holders routinely review to ensure there are no new proposed trademarks that would represent an infringement upon your existing trademark. If there are oppositions, the matter is addressed before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).
If nobody submits an opposition to your proposed mark, your trademark will typically be registered, and you’ll receive a formal trademark registration certificate from the USPTO. Regular maintenance documents must be submitted periodically to keep your trademark registration active. Our legal team can assist with this, along with all phases of the trademark application process, including TTAB hearings.
Once you successfully register a trademark, you will have exclusive rights to that mark. This means that if another party wishes to use your trademark, they must seek permission and pay an appropriate fee. If someone uses your trademark without authorization, you have the right to file a lawsuit and seek damages, including lost revenues and legal costs.
What Are the Risks of Not Getting a Trademark?
Trademark protection includes many benefits, such as being able to prove that you are the owner of your brand or product. Without a trademark, you open yourself up to the possibility of someone else stealing your idea or benefiting from your brand without the ability to take legal action. This can cause confusion for customers, leading them to buy from someone else who can then profit from your ingenuity and hard work.
When you invest time, money, and work into a business, you want to be the sole beneficiary. What’s more, taking legal action over intellectual property rights can eat into your company’s funds and detract from your reputation. You could find it harder to hire employees, further detracting from your business’s success. Don’t take such serious risks when you could take the simple steps of getting your business registered or procuring a service mark with our trademark attorney.
At Lankford Law Firm, we make the entire process as simple as possible. We’ll analyze your situation based on our years of experience serving clients like you. We can help determine what kind of action you need to take to protect your ideas and intellectual property. We will help you make the best decisions possible in your unique case. You can rely on Attorney Melody Lankford for legal assistance when seeking trademarks to protect your new or growing business.
Is My Trademark Good Outside of the United States?
A federal trademark registration is evidence of your exclusive ownership and right to use that trademark. Trademark registration with the USPTO protects a symbol within U.S. borders. You can also request seizure by U.S. Customs of goods entering the country with a counterfeit or infringing trademark. Individual states also register trademarks, which means additional (although geographically limited) symbol rights.
International brand and trademark protection are also available by registering in individual countries or multi-nationally through several treaties and conventions. Our law firm can help by offering guidance if you want to secure international trademarks for your brand name, logo, slogan, or other trademarked materials.
Do I Need a Trademark Lawyer for Florida Trademarks?
Most business owners should consider getting a trademark. However, your unique situation could vary from what other owners in Florida are dealing with when it comes to intellectual property law.
The following are some scenarios where getting protection for your intellectual property would be a good idea:
- Individuals operating in a large market
- Company owners in a competitive market
- Owners using branding that could be confusing to customers because it is similar to an existing company’s branding
- Anyone who wants to protect their intellectual property from being stolen or imitated
Once you have determined that you need a trademark, you should consider whether hiring a trademark attorney is right for you. Many people think they can get a trademark without legal assistance, only to be frustrated by the details of the process later. You can avoid the time-consuming nuances of trademark law by hiring a law firm to help.
With our IP law firm by your side, you can focus on other details of operating your business. We’ll seek the ultimate trademark protection so your company can avoid litigation as much as possible. We will ensure that your trademarks are legally valid and thorough, so you don’t have to worry about this aspect of running your business. If problems arise in the future where another party is guilty of trademark infringement, we will offer aggressive legal representation on your behalf.
We highly encourage you to take the simple step of protecting your company by speaking with our trademark lawyer right away. Attorney Melody Lankford treats her clients with respect and care, often meeting at their places of work to make the consultation process as easy as possible. We will leverage our knowledge, dedication, honesty, and skill to provide the legal services you need for your business, including contract law, business planning, and employment law services. Call today to schedule your initial case review.
How Can Your Business Lawyers Help With the Trademarking Process?
A trademark application process always involves elaborate procedures, and there are a number of potential legal issues that you may encounter. The help of an experienced Daytona Beach trademark and logo lawyer is imperative. The USPTO often asks for concessions that can leave you – even after registration – with few logo rights or protections. Unfortunately, many only realize this problem once they’re already in court, facing litigation.
To ensure you protect your brand and receive the rights and protections you need to succeed, it’s wise to contact Lankford Law Firm to oversee the entire trademark registration process on your behalf. A top Florida trademark lawyer can serve as a valuable small business partner, one you can count on to protect your interests and the interests of your business.
Contact our friendly legal team today to learn more about patent and trademark protection in Central Florida.
Should You Hire Our Central Florida Trademark Lawyer?
Whatever your needs are, whether as an independent contractor or small business owner, Lankford Law Firm is here to assist. Regarded as one of Central Florida’s most well-regarded law firms, our legal team represents and serves small businesses throughout Volusia County, along with Brevard, Flagler, Orange, and Seminole counties.
Assisting and representing small businesses in Central Florida, we offer legal advice, representation, and guidance on a wide variety of business and legal matters ranging from trademarks and intellectual property protection to hiring practices, workers’ compensation issues, wage disputes, employee contracts, and I-9 compliance.
Daytona Beach trademark lawyer Lankford strives to provide a comfortable, friendly setting for clients and potential clients to discuss their business and legal needs by setting appointments around clients’ schedules. In addition to offering flexible time slots for client meetings, our legal team will also come to your place of business for meetings.
If you’re seeking to discuss your trademark infringement case, Attorney Lankford of the Lankford law firm is here to provide a consultation. Contact the Lankford Law Firm for a consultation today at or email mlankford@lankfordlawfirm.com. Se habla Español.
