TRADEMARK SERVICES OF GRAHAM IP
Trademark law protects the "goodwill" signified by brands used for products and services. This goodwill fuels "brand loyalty" with respect to a company's products and services. In this way, powerful brands function like "money magnets."
According to Forbes, the GOOGLE brand draws at least $44 billion annually, while the MICROSOFT brand draws at least about $43 billion, WALMART at least about $37 billion, GE about $31 billion, Apple about $30 billion, and on it goes. These and thousands of other companies spend billions of dollars promoting and protecting their most valuable brands, and for good reason. And they are almost all federally registered in the US and in all relevant overseas markets "six ways from Sunday." Why is that?
Make no mistake, like commercially successful products, processes, and services, commercially successful brands will face encroachment or outright copying by those desiring to unjustly ride the coattails of these brands or confuse consumers as to the source of their products or services. Aggressively protecting your marks with federal registration in the USPTO and in relevant overseas markets helps preserve and build strength in these "money magnets" in the markets where they bring in revenue. Your ability to invoke rights under these registrations is vital to your ability to keep predators at bay in these places.
Keep your valuable brands strong and fully charged against the inevitable effects of predation with the help of Graham IP. We provide clearance searches for client brands and logos, focused on their availability for use and registration in the USPTO and overseas, and potential conflicts with prior-used "common law" or unregistered marks, which may enjoy a measure of protection under US law. Accompanying this is a concerted practice in brand development where we provide advice and best practices for developing strong and commercially powerful brands with the ability to be registered and legally protected in key markets.
We are also able to file and prosecute trademark registration applications before the USPTO and overseas trademark offices, and to provide services related to maintenance of registrations for our clients’ marks in the US and abroad. As part of our trademark services, we defend our clients’ trademark applications and registrations in opposition, cancellation, and other adversarial proceedings before the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and in overseas registration matters, in cooperation with foreign associate counsel.
We help clients with a variety of other trademark-related matters, including negotiating and drafting license, consent, co-existence, and other agreements. We can also also police client trademarks against misuse and infringement by others, including retention of watch services that periodically screen Internet sites and records of the USPTO and overseas agencies for the presence of trademarks that may conflict with brands of strategic importance to our clients. This service also assesses the advisability of appropriate action to address encroachment of client marks and, if necessary, commencement of litigation to enjoin continuing infringement or dilution and pursue available monetary relief. We also defend parties accused of trademark infringement, with many successes advocating on behalf of clients from both offensive and defensive postures in federal and state courts.
Below is a small sampling of exemplary marks we have registered and protected for clients.