I've been making sure in all cases that the proposed names don't come up with anything of note in Google to avoid the risks above, but that would indeed be an easy trap to fall into, and would suck!
Is there a way to check trademark status globally, or conveniently that you know of?
You're welcome! We don't know what we don't know, so it's always worth mentioning to people. I know I sure didn't know a lot about this stuff, even after almost 10 years freelance writing š¹ I'm a lot more mindful about trademark, copyright, and brand equity issues, though, so I try to keep that top of mind for others.
Also, you bet! Here are my favorite resources to check. There's no real international database (yet -- why not, I don't know!) that's totally comprehensive, so I like to check a few sources.
If it doesn't come up with either of these, you're probably in the clear. I'd consult a lawyer about it, though, just to make sure, once you're ready to take that leap.
You're welcome! They're bookmarked for easy access because before I do any brand strategy work for clients, I have them take a few seats while I double-check their brand name, just in case (since most newbies don't think about TM infringement).
Also, I've had a personal friend who got trapped in this, except she had created a whole brand but never made it officially legal and someone swooped under her, trademarked the name first, sent my friend a cease & desist, and there was nothing my friend could do. She lost literally everything overnight and had to immediately rebrand.
(I helped her with the PR and rebrand, and we fortunately were able to not only save her audience but grow it BECAUSE the way we told the story strengthened her positioning. But still -- tragic it happened at all.)
People are really out here being shady, and it's not cute.
(This was in the online coaching space and the woman who swooped her brand name was in her community, by the way. It got pretty ugly for a while.)
The biggest piece of advice: Protect yourself and your assets (including intellectual property) at all costs.
Solid answer, thanks!
I've been making sure in all cases that the proposed names don't come up with anything of note in Google to avoid the risks above, but that would indeed be an easy trap to fall into, and would suck!
Is there a way to check trademark status globally, or conveniently that you know of?
You're welcome! We don't know what we don't know, so it's always worth mentioning to people. I know I sure didn't know a lot about this stuff, even after almost 10 years freelance writing š¹ I'm a lot more mindful about trademark, copyright, and brand equity issues, though, so I try to keep that top of mind for others.
Also, you bet! Here are my favorite resources to check. There's no real international database (yet -- why not, I don't know!) that's totally comprehensive, so I like to check a few sources.
If it doesn't come up with either of these, you're probably in the clear. I'd consult a lawyer about it, though, just to make sure, once you're ready to take that leap.
Awesome resources, thanks for taking the time to do that!
You're welcome! They're bookmarked for easy access because before I do any brand strategy work for clients, I have them take a few seats while I double-check their brand name, just in case (since most newbies don't think about TM infringement).
Also, I've had a personal friend who got trapped in this, except she had created a whole brand but never made it officially legal and someone swooped under her, trademarked the name first, sent my friend a cease & desist, and there was nothing my friend could do. She lost literally everything overnight and had to immediately rebrand.
(I helped her with the PR and rebrand, and we fortunately were able to not only save her audience but grow it BECAUSE the way we told the story strengthened her positioning. But still -- tragic it happened at all.)
People are really out here being shady, and it's not cute.
(This was in the online coaching space and the woman who swooped her brand name was in her community, by the way. It got pretty ugly for a while.)
The biggest piece of advice: Protect yourself and your assets (including intellectual property) at all costs.