Trademark Company Registered Crimson Corporate Image Word Application

In the United States, trademarks can be registered so that only one company or person may use them. There are restrictions on what can be called a trademark, however. Trademarks must be different from other trademarks already being used and they must be different from commonly used words. For instance, the word "pants" could not be a registered trademark. Trademarks that have been "abandoned," or never used again, also cannot be registered.

To be granted a registered trademark, you have to make sure no one else is using your trademark already, and you must fill out an application form and pay a fee. After that, if you have not used your trademark yet, you should use it and then send in "proof," or evidence, that you have used it. If you have already used your trademark before the application process, then you wait for your trademark to be approved by a lawyer and to be published in an "Official Gazette," a government publication. After that, anyone who has objections to or problems with your trademark has 30 days to "oppose," or to try to prevent your registration. If you are not opposed, you will receive a "Certificate of Registration," which will last for ten years.

"Trademark violation" happens when one company uses a trademark that is very similar to another company's mark. For example, if Crimson Paper Company was registered as a trademark and sold paper, and then the Crimson Leaf Company was created later and also sold paper, this may be considered a trademark violation. While the word "crimson," which means the color red, is free for everyone to use, these two companies sell the same product. The law is written so that the Crimson Paper Company should not have to worry about customers confusing it with the Crimson Leaf Company.