21Mar 2022 by Pat Geddie
Overview of Trademark Searches

Overview of Trademark Searches

Trademarks
Before you spend too much time, money, and energy developing and trying to protect your small business brand, you should have a thorough trademark search conducted. A trademark search is an involved process, usually conducted by a professional searcher, that scours trademark registries and identifies any marks that might cause issues with your brand. A search can involve current registrations with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as well as pending registration applications. While there is no official requirement by the USPTO to have a trademark search conducted before you apply for trademark registration, it is highly advisable to do so. Failing to perform a proper search can leave you open to legal challenges of your mark, as well as accusations of infringement by other parties with registered…
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21Mar 2022 by Pat Geddie
Avoid these Mistakes Regarding Your Startup’s IP

Avoid these Mistakes Regarding Your Startup’s IP

Intellectual property
You recently started a new company in Bozeman that provides snowmobile rentals and tours in the winter and bike and tube rentals in the summer. There are similar companies in the market, of course, so you need to make sure that you set your business apart and make the right decisions to achieve your goals. Avoid the following intellectual property mistakes to increase your chances of success. Not Realizing You Have Important Intellectual Property Perhaps you know you didn’t reinvent the wheel when you started your rental company in Montana, but this doesn’t mean you have no IP to consider. To stand out, you might have designed a particular name, logo, or even a slogan to differentiate your shop from other similar ones. However, you might not identify these things…
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21Mar 2022 by Pat Geddie
Does a Provisional Patent Provide IP Protection?

Does a Provisional Patent Provide IP Protection?

Uncategorized
There are circumstances when your startup might have an invention, but you are not ready to take the time, effort, and expense of filing a full patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). You may have heard of provisional patents, and you might wonder whether this is adequate to protect your invention before you file for full protection. While many people commonly refer to a “provisional patent,” this is not an actual type of patent that can be granted. Instead, more accurately, you will have a provisional patent application. Having this application on file with the USPTO can provide benefits but not full IP protection similar to a patent with rights to file infringement lawsuits. Patent Pending Status A provisional patent application provides you with “patent…
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