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Registering for a trademark is an important step in protecting your company’s logo, name or slogan with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). And while some trademarks under common law protect your intellectual property, it isn’t always guaranteed. Today’s leading trademark registration services help take a lot of the headaches out of the registration process. Common features include trademark search, assistance with filing and a quick turnaround time.
Keep in mind that whatever you pay a trademark registration firm won’t include the fees the USPTO charges for filing for a trademark. Be prepared to pay an additional $250 to $350 per trademark class.
Note: The information in this article is for informational purposes only. None of it should be considered legal advice on trademark registration, or any other subject.
| Company | Forbes Advisor Rating | Starts at | Trademark search included | Turnaround time | LEARN MORE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom |  |
4.9 |  |
$249 |
Standard |
Six to nine months |
Learn More | On LegalZoom's Website | https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-100640841-15053485 |
 |
4.8 |  |
$99 | Standard | Eight months | View More | On Trademark Engine's Website | ||
| Rocket Lawyer |  |
4.8 |  |
$99 ($89 for members) | Standard | 10 to 11 months | Learn More | On Rocket Lawyer's Website | https://go.skimresources.com/?id=183154X1652947&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rocketlawyer.com%2F |
 |
4.6 |  |
$399 | Standard searches with all plans | Nine to 12 months | View More | |||
 |
4.2 |  |
$99 | Standard | Eight to 12 months | View More | |||
 |
4.1 | |
$300 | Standard | 18 months | View More | |||
 |
3.6 |  |
$2,495 | Comprehensive | 12 months | View More | |||
 |
3.5 |  |
$199 | None | Nine to 16 months | View More | |||
 |
3.3 | |
$400 | Comprehensive (with $700 package and above) | Not specified | View More | |||
 |
3.1 |  |
$775 | Comprehensive Yes | 12- to 24-month turnaround | View More |
Can you do business without a trademark? Yes, of course. There is no law that states you must register for a trademark. However, without a registered trademark, your business’s name, logo and/or slogan may be at risk.
We mentioned above that you could be putting your business’s brand at risk if you don’t register trademarks. Generally speaking, common law trademarks only protect you if someone else infringes on your branding, and you must prove with evidence that your branding came first.
If you don’t check first to see if your branding is unique, you may be infringing on another business’s look or slogan. In some cases, this won’t be a big deal. For example, if you have a restaurant named Flop Jacks and a shoe business with the same name exists. If there’s no confusion between the brands and their different classes, both may continue to operate with no issue.
Registering a trademark can protect you from all the potential legal hassle if anyone tries to claim you’re infringing on their designs, or if they try to infringe on your brand property.
Even the best trademark registration firms don’t always make it entirely clear that some fees are not included in their plans. There’s an assumption that as a business owner, you’ve done your research and you know about USPTO trademark fees.
Here are the basics you need to know about trademark registration fees:
If you read all the reviews of the best trademark registration firms above, then you likely noticed there are few guarantees. Most guarantees are attached to the highest-priced plans because the extra money can act as a retainer should anything go wrong, like a minor or major office action.
The USPTO can reject a trademark registration application for a number of reasons, including insufficient evidence, possible confusion between two businesses or a need for disclaimers. When this happens, there need to be corrections to the application, and then it needs resubmission. This costs time and money.
To determine the best trademark registration firms, we developed a ranking criteria based on three broad factors: user reviews, customer support and trademark services. These three broad categories consist of 17 subcategories. Of them, we paid special attention to price, turnaround time and the granularity of the trademark search included in the firms’ various packages.
Yes, you can register a trademark yourself by submitting your application and filing fee to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). While this could save you some money, keep in mind that one small mistake or oversight could be costly, which is why it’s generally a good idea to use an attorney or trademark registration service. For more information, learn how to trademark a name or logo.
At the minimum, you’ll pay $250 for a single federal trademark, though there are a variety of fees associated with registering a trademark in the U.S. For example, there are federal and state trademarks, and both the cost and process are different for federal and each state. Get the complete breakdown of trademark costs here, along with each state’s trademark links.
There are different ways to protect intellectual property. A trademark protects a business’s name, logo or slogan—and each one requires a separate trademark. Works of intellectually created bodies of work and inventions require a copyright or patent, respectively. Learn more about the difference between a trademark, copyright and patent.
