TotallyClueless
New Member
Hi all, and thanks in advance for any help you can offer,
I'm in the process of setting up a new business, however it is proving difficult in the arena of Trademarks and would like some opinion on it. I am in the Caribbean but the law here is almost a mirror of US trademark law and obviously I still have the lawyers to have the final consult with here.
My issue is that I'm being told I have to registered what to me seem like far too many trademarks, logos, trading names etc.
Let say I have a business called Intelligent Technology (im making it up btw..)
and I have a company logo which consists of the letters IT in some graphical form. Now I have to register that as a trademark I know, and the business is registered as a Limited Company.
Now the business is going to be undertaking much online marketing, and under the brand, so like...
IT Cars
IT Books
IT Foodstuffs.
Each of which incorporates the logo of the parent, however i want to attach identity to each by using a different color for each brand. So, say, IT Cars would be blue, IT Books red etc....
I already own my domains, itcars dot com etc....
and it is possible that we may want to use the identities in the real world at a later stage, and not just online.
So, for the moment I'm told I need to register the IT logo, each area logo individually, each trading name in the IT arena, and the arena in which it trades (multiclass). Which leaves a LOT of trademarks and a lot of cost.
To me (non-lawyer), if I register my original logo, surely that same graphical image would be protected. So nobody else would be able to register that Mark? no? so why all the logos again? I cant change the color of the Pepsi logo and say its mine to sell say IT hardware can I?
Also, if I have IT Books as an online business registered selling books, do I then need IT Books class as a bookstore to stop Mr Smith opening his bookstore by exactly the same name?
As we make some money, I don't have a problem later covering the bases, but for me to pay (from memory) $500 per submission to the lawyer, plus the costs to the Trademarks $200, I will be broke before I start.....
I know I can't stop people using "IT" as its a common usage, so any help you can offer on the vague facts I've given would be appreciated, before I have the sell the car to open my business!!!!
Thanks
Mr TotallyClueless
I'm in the process of setting up a new business, however it is proving difficult in the arena of Trademarks and would like some opinion on it. I am in the Caribbean but the law here is almost a mirror of US trademark law and obviously I still have the lawyers to have the final consult with here.
My issue is that I'm being told I have to registered what to me seem like far too many trademarks, logos, trading names etc.
Let say I have a business called Intelligent Technology (im making it up btw..)
and I have a company logo which consists of the letters IT in some graphical form. Now I have to register that as a trademark I know, and the business is registered as a Limited Company.
Now the business is going to be undertaking much online marketing, and under the brand, so like...
IT Cars
IT Books
IT Foodstuffs.
Each of which incorporates the logo of the parent, however i want to attach identity to each by using a different color for each brand. So, say, IT Cars would be blue, IT Books red etc....
I already own my domains, itcars dot com etc....
and it is possible that we may want to use the identities in the real world at a later stage, and not just online.
So, for the moment I'm told I need to register the IT logo, each area logo individually, each trading name in the IT arena, and the arena in which it trades (multiclass). Which leaves a LOT of trademarks and a lot of cost.
To me (non-lawyer), if I register my original logo, surely that same graphical image would be protected. So nobody else would be able to register that Mark? no? so why all the logos again? I cant change the color of the Pepsi logo and say its mine to sell say IT hardware can I?
Also, if I have IT Books as an online business registered selling books, do I then need IT Books class as a bookstore to stop Mr Smith opening his bookstore by exactly the same name?
As we make some money, I don't have a problem later covering the bases, but for me to pay (from memory) $500 per submission to the lawyer, plus the costs to the Trademarks $200, I will be broke before I start.....
I know I can't stop people using "IT" as its a common usage, so any help you can offer on the vague facts I've given would be appreciated, before I have the sell the car to open my business!!!!
Thanks
Mr TotallyClueless