Trademark registration process?

The process of registering a trademark in the United States is as follows:

1. Trademark search

Before submitting an application, check whether the proposed trademark can be registered to eliminate the possibility of rejection due to similarity or similarity with the prior rights trademark, in order to improve the success rate.

2. Submit application

-Prepare application documents, including trademark design, category of goods or services, applicant information, etc.

-Choose application basis:

-Based on actual use (Section 1 (a)): The trademark has been actually used in the United States and evidence of use must be submitted.

-Intention based use (Section 1 (b)): The trademark has not been actually used in the United States, but there is a genuine intention to use it, and a statement of use must be submitted in the future.

3. Formal review

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) conducts a formal examination of application documents to ensure their completeness and compliance with regulations.

4. Substantive examination

-USPTO examiners conduct substantive examination of trademarks to determine whether they meet registration requirements.

-If it does not meet the requirements, the examiner will issue a rejection notice, and the applicant must submit a review or modification within the prescribed time limit.

5. Trademark Announcement

-After the examination is approved, the trademark will be announced, and the opposition period is 30 days.

-During this period, any third party may raise objections, and the applicant must respond within the specified time.

6. Registration certificate

-If there is no objection or the objection is rejected, the trademark will be officially registered and a registration certificate will be issued.

-Applications based on intended use must submit a Statement of Use after the announcement, otherwise the application will be considered abandoned.

The entire process usually takes about 12-18 months.