3 Reasons You Don't Need a Trademark

You know, there are actually three reasons you DON’T need a trademark. Let’s dive in!

Reason #1: You’ve used your first and last name

So the first reason you might not need a trademark, it's one because you've used your first and last name. Now, can you get your first and last name trademarked? Absolutely. It happens all the time, should you maybe not. Sometimes it doesn't make sense for business owners to trademark their first and last name. Not to mention there's going to be a plethora of paperwork and a lot of other things that you have to submit to get that thing registered. For a lot of folks, it just doesn't make sense to trademark their name. 

Reason #2: You don’t plan on using your in commerce

Second reason you don't need a trademark: you don't plan on using your name in commerce. Let's say that you have Mike's Garage in a small town in Tennessee. (I’m using this as an example because I was just in Tennessee!) You have no plans to market yourself,  you don’t want to take on a lot business, and you kind of just want to be like the local guy. That's fine, and there's probably no need for you to have a trademark. 

Reason #3: Your name is generic

The third reason you don't need a trademark is because your business name, honestly, just isn't that unique—it’s kind of generic. Let's say we call it Courtney's Car Wash, who's going to trademark that, right? It's pretty generic, it’s descriptive, and there's really no point in having a trademark.

Now, trademarks hold a lot of value. They can increase your business portfolio. They can show brand recognition, they can protect you online, and a lot of other wonderful things. But if you fall into one of those three categories, you may just not need a trademark. If that's you, that is totally fine. You don't need to waste your time and money on a trademark.

However, if you DO want to start the trademark process, let us know how we can help!