Protect Your Assets And Intellectual Property
In an increasingly global marketplace, it is essential to establish legal ownership of valuable intellectual property and protect trademarks, trade names and trade secrets from misuse.
At Isenberg & Hewitt, PC, we represent clients in securing and defending their rights with regard to unique words, images, logos, designs and other properties that are registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Our attorneys are skilled at handling:
- Registration of trademarks, including all stages of the application, examination and review processes
- Trade name registration and approval
- Preparation of copyright applications and patent applications
- Trademark infringement and trademark dilution that may adversely impact the stability of a brand
- Copyright infringement matters
- Trade dress infringement and trade name infringement
- Trade secret infringement and litigation
- Domain name disputes and other intellectual property matters related to the internet
Sometimes our work involves preparing, planning, filing and following up with appropriate authorities, while in other situations it requires litigation.
Get The FAQs On Trademarks And More
What is a trademark (or service mark)? A trademark is something that identifies a source of goods or services. It can be a completely fabricated term such as Kleenex, which consumers readily identify as a source of facial tissues, or it can be something as innocuous as the color brown, which on the side of a delivery truck lets us know that the UPS guy (or girl) is making a delivery.
What is a trade name? Trademarks and trade names are not the same thing, though many businesses have a trade name that is a trademark. An example would be John Smith the plumber who calls his business America’s Best Plumber. Because America’s Best Plumber does not identify John Smith in the minds of consumers, it is not a trademark.
What is a trade secret? A trade secret is essentially information or data that is known to you, has value and is not known to others — and an effort is made to keep it that way. Good examples of trade secrets are the Colonel’s secret recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken and the formula for Coca-Cola. Information that is proprietary but does not rise to the level of a trade secret, can be protected under confidentiality agreements.
Is a domain name a trademark? A domain name is not necessarily (but may be) a trademark. A domain name identifies a location on the Internet where information can be located. Using the plumber example from above, our handy water and sewer craftsman could likely be found on the Internet at www.americasbestplumber.com (not a live link).
Safeguard What Makes Your Company Special
Understanding how intellectual property laws work can help you better protect the services or goods that makes your business unique.
Work with our attorneys today to navigate trademarks, trade names and more to safeguard your company’s advantage. Call our Atlanta-based firm at 770-901-2666 or schedule your first consultation with us via email.