What’s the most important logo?
This one (seal image):
The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, or “USPTO” is the home to nearly every registered U.S. trademark and patent. As you may already imagine, ideas are only as good as they are vetted… and protected. And not necessarily in that order. After all, your brand is YOURS, isn’t it? So why not own it?
For starters, perform an initial search at USPTO.gov, using specifically their “TESS” search tool. Domain names only go so far. If you have a website domain name, you may be violating the law if you use it. For example if your name is Mike Rowe and you have and use the domain name “mikerowesoft.com”… oops…”Likelihood of Confusion” Why? Because the company of a similar name owns their name, and since it’s a “famous mark” any likelihood of confusion is prohibited.
A name that is not famous, however, may legally claim different business categories such as “John Doe Bakery” and “John Doe Investments”.
What’s in a name?
A word mark like “best pizza” will likely not pass since it’s fully descriptive. What about “Qwerty” as a name for a pizza place? What about registering a trademark of “Best Pizza” as a unique logo?
Answer? It depends upon if your name is accepted, period. Since you have to start somewhere, start with “TESS”. After that, you could hire an “I.P.” – or “intellectual property” attorney. (We have.) You could self-register (which we do not recommend, although we’ve done that, too). If successful… Congratulations. Now get ready to spend time and money promoting and maintaining your brand.
Naming as an art
Your company name will last a long time, so make it distinct, memorable and meaningful. Not too short, not too long. Not too descriptive, not too suggestive. Consider everything from diction, to letter forms, to wordsmithing. One rule is “there are no rules”. After all, what the heck do yellow arches have to do with hamburgers? Remember this: it’s a process. Explore and explore some more, pause, come back, be patient and expect only universal acceptance.
What has Greyskye named?
Plenty – businesses, positioning statements, products and processes….. local through worldwide.
What has it achieved?
Tangible success and increased brand equity to those companies. (What else?)
