Skip to content
Home
Menu Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • The Logo Creative
    • Logo Design
    • Our Process
    • What’s Included
    • Testimonials
    • FAQ
    • Terms of Service
  • Contact Us
    • General Enquiry
    • Hire Me
  • Case Studies
    • Logo Portfolio
  • Blog
  • Community
    • Contribute & Advertise
    • Mindful Creative Insights
    • Logo Design Resources
    • Shop
    • Designer Interview
    • Designer Spotlight
    • Book Review: Logo Design
    • Freelance & Marketing
    • Brand Spotlight
    • Famous Logos
    • Instagram
Everything You Need To Know About Legal Protection for Logos

Everything You Need To Know About Legal Protection for Logos

  • 18/01/2019
  • by The Logo Creative
  • Your company’s logo is an integral part of your business since it’s an artistic representation of your brand. It’s an essential aspect of your marketing and promotional strategies to separate your products and services to that of your competitors. A well-designed logo helps in boosting awareness for your brand and makes your enterprise easily recognizable to consumers.

    Whether you created your logo yourself or hired someone to craft a symbol for your business, you should know how to protect your intellectual property legally:

    Everything You Need To Know About Legal Protection for Logos

    1. Table of Contents

      • Know the Terms
      • Determine the Protection You Need
        • Pros and Cons of a Trademark
        • Pros and Cons of a Copyright
      • Follow the Process
      • Conclusion:

      Know the Terms

    Trademark and copyright are often used interchangeably, but they have different functions when it comes to protecting your intellectual property. There’s also another term, service mark, which gets mixed up with the other legal jargons. If you’re planning on getting a trademark, it’s crucial that you are familiar with the terms and what protection they offer.

    • Trademark – This can be a word, phrase, symbol, or design that differentiates your brand from others. It is used for products. By filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for registration, you get the right to use the mark with your goods. You also get a legal presumption of the mark nationwide.
    • Service Mark – It is similar to a trademark, but it is used to identify the source of a service rather than items. It also comes with the same benefits as a trademark when you register it with the USPTO.
    • Copyright – A copyright is used to protect original works by an author or designer. This covers literary, musical, and artistic pieces like songs, poetry, novels, architecture, and computer software.For individual creators, the duration of this protection lasts for the lifetime of the author with an additional 70 years. For anonymous authors or those who wrote under a pseudonym, legal protection lasts depending on which is shorter: 95 years from the publication date or 120 years from the creation date.
    • Patent – This property right is typically used for ideas like unique chemical compositions and industrial processes, as well as inventions such as machines and gadgets.
    1. Determine the Protection You Need

    Knowing the type of protection your business needs regarding your logo is essential. Securing your assets which includes your intellectual property can boost your company’s net worth. Trademarks and copyrights also prevent misuse of your logo. Most businesses use both to protect their designs.

    • Pros and Cons of a Trademark

    Trademarks cover your brand’s name and your logo’s colors, typefaces, and designs, but it only does to prevent confusion in the marketplace. It does not prevent plagiarism of the artwork. For example, two brands with the name “Unidentified” can operate at the same time provided they are in different industries.

    • Pros and Cons of a Copyright

    For copyrights, a logo must be unique and instantly recognizable. So, if your logo can be considered a piece of artwork with its great concept and intricate design, it doesn’t just feature your brand name or a letter symbol, then you should probably file for copyright to prevent other sources from reproducing your creation. There is a specific level of creativity requirement which may make the process longer.

    To be on the safe side, you can always file for both trademark and copyright to protect your logo: the former to stop your competitors’ use of it to confuse your target audience and the latter to thwart unwanted copying. This way, you ensure the security of your brand recognition in the marketplace.

    Everything You Need To Know About Legal Protection for Logos

    1. Follow the Process

    If you want to get both a trademark and copyright, you should know how to file for them and which documents to fill out. Before doing that, though, you must do your research on the existing logos on government databases to ensure that your logo does not match any of the trademarked and copyrighted designs.

    Here are the steps to copyright your logo:

    • Fill out the online application.
    • Pay the registration fee of $39 using your credit card, electronic check, or deposit account for online transactions.
    • Send copies of your logo. One copy if it hasn’t been used anywhere yet, and two if it has been published.
    • Check your email inbox for the office’s confirmation message.

    To trademark your logo:

    • Apply through the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) and provide a thorough description of your logo
    • Check if your application was approved. The process typically takes about four months.

    Conclusion:

    Be proactive about protecting your company’s assets, which includes intellectual property such as your logo. This way, you are defending yourself against future copyright and trademark infringements that may not only affect your sales but damage your reputation as well. Get legal protection for your logos to maximize the time and money you invested in their conception.

    Posted in Branding, Business, Design Resources, Logo Legal Protection
    LegalLogoLogosProtection

    Post navigation

    5 Ways How the Right Words can Build a Consistent Brand
    Importance of Branding in Today’s World

    cropped-The-logo-creative_logo-design_Brand_Identity_Yorkshire_UK-1

    Award-Winning Studio & Graphic Design Blog Creating Daily Content For The Design Community.

    Categories




    Interactive Email With Insights

    Weekly Blog Digest

    Branding Design Blogs




    The Logo Creative Amazon Influencer Store_2

    SkillShare - Online Learning, Learn new creative design skills.

    Designcuts - Graphic Design Font, Fonts, Mockups and design bundles

    eRESONAID - The Brand Strategy Framework - Online Course by Fabien Geyrhalter.

    brand-style-guide-template

    The Logo Package Express - Create, export, and sort hundreds of logo files in under 5 minutes!

    High-Profile Logo Awards Competition - Logo Wave Awards

    The Ultimate Guide to Logo Design eBook

    Mazzine.com

    movie converter

     

    thelogocreative

    thelogocreative
    ‘Creativity for Sale’ + ‘Mindful Creative’ ‘Creativity for Sale’ + ‘Mindful Creative’ by Radim Malinic is now available worldwide in bookstores and online. 

Grab yourself a copy and reach your creative career potential without the cycle of burnouts and stress. 

These books are beautiful I highly recommend them!

Big thanks to Radim @radim.malinic for our copies of these amazing books!

Find out more at:

https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

https://brandnu.co.uk

_______________________________

#bookstagram #bookdesigners #booksofinstagram #booksofinsta #booksof2023 #booksofig
#booksbooksbooks #booklover #bookofideas 
#printisnotdead #radimmalinic #brandnustudio 
#mindfulness #creativity #graphicdesign 
#freelancer #mentalhealth #selfcare 
#creativityforsale #mindfulcreative #bookofideas #authorsofinstagram #careeradvice #beyourbestself #authorlife #mentalhealthawareness #creativelifestyle #graphicdesign #brandnustudio 
#freelance #freelancer
    Instagram post 17998911544953711 Instagram post 17998911544953711
    Instagram post 17848273703842142 Instagram post 17848273703842142
    Instagram post 17919468356601936 Instagram post 17919468356601936
    Check out the latest Designer Interview with Micha Check out the latest Designer Interview with Michael Cherkashin and award-winning graphic designer and creative director @hugagency

It was a great pleasure to feature Michael who shares some valuable insights into logo design  and live as a graphic designer and creative director.

The interview is also featured on today's newsletter, including the book by @made.by.james
what I have been up to, and more insights. 

Join me, let's chat! 👋

tiny.cc/thelogocreative 
_________________________________

#logodesigner #creativecommunity #positivevibes #logodesigner #logodesigns #logoprofesional #logo #logoinspirations #designer #designthinking #creativeideas #creativeidea #thoughtoftheday #creativemind #creativemindset #logoideas #logoidentity #identitydesigner #creativeproject #creativethoughts #logotips #logoinspirations #logoinspiration #designdaily #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore
    In his New York Times best seller Steal Like an Ar In his New York Times best seller Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon gave readers the key to unlock creativity. Now comes the next step in the journey: how to get known.

SHOW YOUR WORK! puts an end to the destructive myth of the long genius by showing artists and writers, makers and creative entrepreneurs how to join the new ecology of talent. It is about found by being findable, about using the network instead of wasting time networking.

The key is process, not product. Share something new every day but don’t turn into human spam.) Keep and amateurs mind where the possibilities are limitless. Be a connector, a teacher, an open node. Don’t horde.

In ten vital new priciples, SHOW YOUR WORK! shows that you have to be open, generous, brave - an artist that other artists will steal from.

Full review can be found on our website link in bio under the book review section.

If you would like your own copy of Show Your Work by Austin Kleon it’s available online. 

If you purchase through the links below, I do get a small commission that i put back into The Logo Creative project, for instance by purchasing new books like these that i can share with you the reader. 

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon. 

Amazon - https://amzn.to/3jh4p0h 

Wordery - https://tidd.ly/2VmUJt9 

Bookshop - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/7810/9780761169253 

Looking for more creative content? Check out our website. 

Checkout our website book review section: 
https://www.thelogocreative.co.uk/book-review-logo-design/ 

Read Our Daily Blog Articles: https://www.thelogocreative.co.uk/blog/ 

Join The Community Newsletter Group: https://thelogocreative.substack.com/subscribe 

We have recently partnered with Mr Mockup: https://mrmockup.com/ref/thelogocreative/

_________________________________

#thelogocreative #thelogocommumity #design #graphicdesign #bookblog #booklover #BrandIdentity #bookclub #bookshelf #bookreviewer #bookworm #bookaholic #bookpic #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookreader #branding #storyategy #brandstorytelling #brandstrategy #business #book #books #steallikeanartist #showyourwork #austinkleon
    "Never underestimate white space! Space is an inv "Never underestimate white space!

Space is an invisible design element most can't see, and it's often ignored.

Whits space is an element That controls all other elements.

You can't design when you can't see"

- Andrew Marriott - The Logo Creative™

👉 Join my personal newsletter: tiny.cc/thelogocreative 
👉 Follow @thelogocreative and turn on post notifications. 
👉 Leave a comment, let's chat!

_________________________________

#positivity #entrepreneurmindset #businessquotes #growthmindset #growth #scaleyourbusiness #mindset #businessgoals #designquote #motivation #entrepreneur #lifestyle #motivationalquotes #marketing #positivity #designinspiration #designquote #quotesondesign #designerquote #designquotes #designpassion #positivevibes #thoughtoftheday #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore #branding #creativemind #creativemindset #creativethoughts
    Overcome Creative Block 👇 We've all been there Overcome Creative Block 👇

We've all been there, sketchbook open ready to capture ideas, but nothing is flowing. 

💡 Solution: 

▶️ Set a routine
▶️ Take a step back 
▶️ Go for a walk 
▶️ Change scenery 
▶️ Keep a notebook handy 

What are your methods? 👍

👉 Join my personal newsletter: tiny.cc/thelogocreative 
👉 Follow @thelogocreative and turn on post notifications. 
👉 Leave a comment, let's chat!

________________________________________________

#positivity #entrepreneurmindset #businessquotes #growthmindset #growth #scaleyourbusiness #mindset #businessgoals #designquote #motivation #entrepreneur #lifestyle #motivationalquotes #marketing #positivity #designinspiration #designquote #quotesondesign #designerquote #designquotes #designpassion #positivevibes #thoughtoftheday #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore #branding #creativemind #creativemindset #creativethoughts
    "Be vigilant and always check your client’s agre "Be vigilant and always check your client’s agreement for design services word for word, and twice over before signing. 

I recently rejected a client who was a big design news site. Let’s just say there were things in there I did not like! 

Money is not everything! Protect yourself!"

- Andrew Marriott - The Logo Creative™

👉 Join my personal newsletter: tiny.cc/thelogocreative 
👉 Follow @thelogocreative and turn on post notifications. 
👉 Leave a comment, let's chat!

_________________________________

#positivity #entrepreneurmindset #businessquotes #growthmindset #growth #scaleyourbusiness #mindset #businessgoals #designquote #motivation #entrepreneur #lifestyle #motivationalquotes #marketing #positivity #designinspiration #designquote #quotesondesign #designerquote #designquotes #designpassion #positivevibes #thoughtoftheday #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore #branding #creativemind #creativemindset #creativethoughts
    Austin Kleon’s books have been on my bookshelf f Austin Kleon’s books have been on my bookshelf for quite some time, I finally got round to reading “Steal Like an Artist” and i could not wait to jump in and read his second book “Show Your Work”
 
If you would like to read my full review its on the book review section of our website.

https://www.thelogocreative.co.uk/show-your-work-by-austin-kleon/ 

If you would like your own copy of Show Your Work by Austin Kleon it’s available online. 

If you purchase through the links below, I do get a small commission that i put back into The Logo Creative project, for instance by purchasing new books like these that i can share with you the reader.

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
Amazon - https://amzn.to/3jh4p0h 
Wordery - https://tidd.ly/2VmUJt9 
Bookshop - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/7810/9780761169253 

Looking for more creative content? Check out our website.

Checkout our website book review section: 
https://www.thelogocreative.co.uk/book-review-logo-design/ 

Read Our Daily Blog Articles: 
https://www.thelogocreative.co.uk/blog/ 

Join The Community Newsletter Group:
https://thelogocreative.substack.com/subscribe 

We have recently partnered with Mr Mockup:
https://mrmockup.com/ref/thelogocreative/ 

___________________________________________

#thelogocreative #thelogocommumity #design #graphicdesign #bookblog
#booklover #BrandIdentity #bookclub #bookshelf #bookreviewer #bookworm
#bookaholic #bookpic #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookreader
#branding #storyategy #brandstorytelling #brandstrategy #business #book #books #steallikeanartist #showyourwork #austinkleon
    It was a pleasure to feature Simon Charwey @simonc It was a pleasure to feature Simon Charwey @simoncharwey In our 4th interview back in 2017. 

Simon is a Asanteman-based brand identity designer based in Kumasi, Ghana.

In this interview Simon shares his design journey, first ever logos he designed, his design process and insights into the logo design industry.

Be sure to check out the interview, link in bio under the designer interview section.

_________________________________

#logodesigner #creativecommunity #positivevibes #logodesigner #logodesigns #logoprofesional #logo #logoinspirations #designer #designthinking #creativeideas #creativeidea #thoughtoftheday #creativemind #creativemindset #logoideas #logoidentity #identitydesigner #creativeproject #creativethoughts #logotips #logoinspirations #logoinspiration #designdaily #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore
    Stealing is bad, taking things that don’t belong Stealing is bad, taking things that don’t belong to you is wrong unless you learn to steal like an artist. This book includes 10 things nobody told you about being creative. 

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon does not support plagiarism, let’s get that straight from the start. 

It’s more about unlocking your creativity, and getting into the minds of the artists you admire by understanding why and how they did what they did.

This small square 140 page book was published in 2012 and is a New York Times best seller, and for good reason it’s a fantastic book! - Well Done @austinkleon and @workmanpub

Check out the first look video we posted.

Join Newsletter: tiny.cc/thelogocreativve

If you would like a copy of your own it’s available on Amazon, Wordery and Bookshop:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3jh4p0h 
Wordery: https://tidd.ly/2VmUJt9 
Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/7810/9780761169253 

__________________________________

#thelogocreative #thelogocommumity #design #graphicdesign #bookblog
#booklover #BrandIdentity #bookclub #bookshelf #bookreviewer #bookworm
#bookaholic #bookpic #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookreader
#branding #storyategy #brandstorytelling #brandstrategy #business #book #books #steallikeanartist #austinkleon
    Check out our latest Designer Interview with Micha Check out our latest Designer Interview with Michael Penda @peanutfreepanda a talented graphic designer from Wichita, KS. 

It was a great pleasure to feature Michael, he shares his insights into working as a graphic designer.

The interview is also featured on today's newsletter, including a new book, what I've been up to, and more insights.

join me, let's chat! 👋

tiny.cc/thelogocreative 

_________________________________

#logodesigner #creativecommunity #positivevibes #logodesigner #logodesigns #logoprofesional #logo #logoinspirations #designer #designthinking #creativeideas #creativeidea #thoughtoftheday #creativemind #creativemindset #logoideas #logoidentity #identitydesigner #creativeproject #creativethoughts #logotips #logoinspirations #logoinspiration #designdaily #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore
    "If you have anxiety you're probably worried about "If you have anxiety you're probably worried about the future, if you have depression it's more than likely pain from your past. 

Live in the moment, and be here and now!

It's tough trust me I know, I have been there.

But just like me you got this!"

 - Andrew Marriott - The Logo Creative 

👉 Join my personal newsletter: tiny.cc/thelogocreative 

👉 Follow @thelogocreative and turn on post notifications. 

👉 Leave a comment, let's chat!

_________________________________________

#positivity #entrepreneurmindset #businessquotes #growthmindset #growth #scaleyourbusiness #mindset #businessgoals #designquote #motivation #entrepreneur #lifestyle #motivationalquotes #marketing #positivity #designinspiration #designquote #quotesondesign #designerquote #designquotes #designpassion #positivevibes #thoughtoftheday #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore #branding #creativemind #creativemindset #creativethoughts
    "Always focus on what you are putting into your bu "Always focus on what you are putting into your business, and not what you can get out of it.

Too many are fixated on results and personal gain instead of putting in the work and providing value. 

Tip - Start looking at business from the outside in! 

You get what you put in!" 

- Andrew Marriott - The Logo Creative 

👉 Join my personal newsletter: tiny.cc/thelogocreative 

👉 Follow @thelogocreative and turn on post notifications. 

👉 Leave a comment, let's chat!

________________________________________________

#positivity #entrepreneurmindset #businessquotes #growthmindset #growth #scaleyourbusiness #mindset #businessgoals #designquote #motivation #entrepreneur #lifestyle #motivationalquotes #marketing #positivity #designinspiration #designquote #quotesondesign #designerquote #designquotes #designpassion #positivevibes #thoughtoftheday #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore #branding #creativemind #creativemindset #creativethoughts
    "It's one thing to be creative, but are you innova "It's one thing to be creative, but are you innovative? 

Creativity is thinking up new ideas and innovation is doing new things. 

Always be open to trying new things and moving in different directions. strive to be both." 

- Andrew Marriott - The Logo Creative™

👉 Join my personal newsletter: tiny.cc/thelogocreative 

👉 Follow @thelogocreative and turn on post notifications. 

👉 Leave a comment, let's chat! 

_________________________________________

#positivity #entrepreneurmindset #businessquotes #growthmindset #growth #scaleyourbusiness #mindset #businessgoals #designquote #motivation #entrepreneur #lifestyle #motivationalquotes #marketing #positivity #designinspiration #designquote #quotesondesign #designerquote #designquotes #designpassion #positivevibes #thoughtoftheday #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore #branding #creativemind #creativemindset #creativethoughts
    It was a pleasure to feature Ian Paget In our 3rd It was a pleasure to feature Ian Paget In our 3rd interview back in 2017. 

Ian is logo and brand identity designer working and living in the UK.

In this interview Ian shares his first logo he designed, his favourite logos and a glimps into his process. 

Be sure to check out the interview , link in bio under the designer interview section.

_________________________________

#logodesigner #creativecommunity #positivevibes #logodesigner #logodesigns #logoprofesional #logo #logoinspirations #designer #designthinking #creativeideas #creativeidea #thoughtoftheday #creativemind #creativemindset #logoideas #logoidentity #identitydesigner #creativeproject #creativethoughts #logotips #logoinspirations #logoinspiration #designdaily #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore
    Stealing is bad, taking things that don’t belong Stealing is bad, taking things that don’t belong to you is wrong unless you learn to steal like an artist. This book includes 10 things nobody told you about being creative. 

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon does not support plagiarism, let’s get that straight from the start. It’s more about unlocking your creativity, and getting into the minds of the artists you admire by understanding why and how they did what they did.

This small square 140 page book was published in 2012 and is a New York Times best seller, and for good reason it’s a fantastic book! - Well Done @austinkleon

Check out the first look video.

Join Newsletter: tiny.cc/thelogocreativve

If you would like a copy of your own it’s available on Amazon, Wordery and Bookshop:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3jh4p0h 
Wordery: https://tidd.ly/2VmUJt9 
Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/7810/9780761169253 

__________________________________

#thelogocreative #thelogocommumity #design #graphicdesign #bookblog
#booklover #BrandIdentity #bookclub #bookshelf #bookreviewer #bookworm
#bookaholic #bookpic #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookreader
#branding #storyategy #brandstorytelling #brandstrategy #business #book #books
    Check out the second Designer Interview from 2016 Check out the second Designer Interview from 2016 with our good friend David Airey.

It was a great pleasure to feature David as he has been an inspiration to so many designers over the years me included.

David shares his favourite logo design, his logo design process and steps he has taken in his design journey.

Join our newsletter we share, new designer interviews, new books, insights and what I have been up to.

join me, let's chat! 👋

tiny.cc/thelogocreative 

_________________________________

#logodesigner #creativecommunity #positivevibes #logodesigner #logodesigns #logoprofesional #logo #logoinspirations #designer #designthinking #creativeideas #creativeidea #thoughtoftheday #creativemind #creativemindset #logoideas #logoidentity #identitydesigner #creativeproject #creativethoughts #logotips #logoinspirations #logoinspiration #designdaily #inspirepeople #humanfirst #bemore
    Awhile back I purchased all three of Austin Kleon' Awhile back I purchased all three of Austin Kleon's books @austinkleon as they had been on my reading list for so long, and never got around to reading them 

I can now say I have finally got around to reading them.

The review for "Steal Like an Artist" is already on the book review section of the website, and if you're subscribed to the newsletter you will have received the newsletter regarding this awesome book.

The review for "Show You Work" is coming this Wednesday, there will also be a newsletter on the way.

I have nearly finished "Keep Going" and again I'm really impressed by all three book I highly recommend them they are well worth the read.

Have you read these books? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

👉 Join the newsletter: tiny.cc/thelogocreative

_________________________________________

#thelogocreative #thelogocommunity #design #creative #creativity #austinkleon  #austinkleonbook #austinkleoninspired  #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #book #books #inspiration #booklover #bookclub #bookshelf #bookreviews #bookaholic #booksbooksbooks #bookagram #steallikeanartist #showyourwork #keepgoing #bookworm #bookreader #bookreview
    Load More… Follow on Instagram

    LOGO DESIGN NEWS

    Tweets by thelogocreative

    The Logo Creative - International Strategic Logo and Brand Identity Design Studio

    The Logo Creative™
    Logo & Brand Identity Studio

    Part of The AJR Group™

    International Design Studio
    info[at]thelogocreative.co.uk
    Phone: +44 (0) 7807 085 003

    INSIGHTS FROM THE BLOG

    • Designing Success: Marketing Strategies for IT Businesses 05/12/2023
    • How to Move to a Corporation from a Small Firm 01/12/2023
    Copyright © 2023 The Logo Creative | International Logo Design & Branding Studio | ♡ In Loving Memory Dad (Ray Marriott) | The Logo Creative.
    Scroll to top
    Interested In Writing an Article To Be Featured On The Logo Creative™ ? Contribute!
    Coming Soon - Designer Interview With Von Glitschka View Previous Interviews