At Martin IP Law Group, our trademark practice is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals build, protect, and enforce their most valuable asset—their brand identity. With deep experience in U.S. trademark law and global filing systems, our team provides customized guidance to maximize your brand’s recognition and legal strength.
A trademark is any word, phrase, logo, design, or combination that identifies and distinguishes the source of your goods or services. Registering a trademark with the USPTO grants you:
Brands—from startups to global enterprises—recognize that strong trademark protection enhances reputation and fosters consumer trust.
Our experienced trademark team provides comprehensive solutions at every stage of the trademark lifecycle:
Your brand is your identity. We begin by understanding your vision, business goals, and target market to build a trademark strategy that supports long-term growth and global expansion.
Our attorneys know the inner workings of the USPTO. With strong familiarity with the TMEP and USPTO examiner patterns, we efficiently navigate refusals, Office Actions, and oppositions to reduce delays and associated costs.
Through international systems such as the Madrid Protocol, EU, and Canada, we help clients secure and enforce trademark rights globally. We understand and solve cross-border challenges like translation issues, classification differences, and varying enforcement standards.
Protection doesn’t end at registration. Our watch services, enforcement protocols, and audits ensure your brand remains secure against new threats and emerging market competition.
Martin IP Law Group serves clients across a diverse range of sectors, including:
With both legal and industry-specific insights, we craft trademark strategies tailored to your field’s challenges.
| Step | What We Do | Your Deliverable |
| Strategy Session | Assess mark, goods/services | Recommend best strategy for protection |
| Preparation | Draft application, select filing basis (use/intention to use) | USPTO filing package |
| Filing | Submit to USPTO or international bodies | Application serial #., filed application papers |
| Examination | Respond to Office Actions and refusals | Office action responses, specimen updates |
| Publication | USPTO publishes mark for opposition | Notification of publication and monitoring for any oppositions |
| Registration | Mark issues, maintenance reminders set | Certificate of Registration, ® rights |
| Post-Registration | Watch service, renewals, enforcement | Renewals, audit reports, licensing support |
Partnering with Martin IP is an investment in your brand’s future. We offer clear, transparent pricing and flexible fee structures to support businesses of all sizes:
Billing options include hourly, flat-fee packages, and hybrid models. We offer discount pricing for bundled U.S. Federal Trademark filings ($1,250 for the second application in one class, and $1,050 for the third and any subsequent bundled application). We tailor pricing to match your brand objectives and budget.
Children’s Indoor Play Center: Secured brand protection for their name, logos and signature scent with U.S. Trademark registrations, setting them up to take their business nationwide or franchise.
Hot Sauce Maker: Successfully defended their trademarked brand against an infringer who was importing and selling hot sauces under the same brand in big-box retail stores across the country, forcing the infringer to change the name of its product.
Hunting and Outdoor Products Retailer: Worked with client to acquire ownership of business including due diligence on all intellectual property assets of the business and documentation to ensure proper transfer of ownership interest in all IP including several U.S. Trademark Registrations.
What does a trademark protect?
A trademark mainly protects your brand identity – things like your business name, logo, or slogan that identify your products or services. It prevents others from using a name or symbol that is so similar to yours that people would get confused about who offers the product. In short, it’s legal protection for the unique identifiers of your brand, so customers know it’s you behind the product or service.
Do I need to register my trademark?
No, you don’t have to register a trademark to have some basic rights. In the U.S., simply using your brand name or logo in business gives you some ownership rights in your immediate area (these are often called “common law” rights). However, registering your trademark (for example, with the USPTO) provides much stronger protection – it puts your claim on record nationwide and makes it easier to legally prevent others from using a similar name. So while registration isn’t required, it is highly recommended if you want the best protection for a growing brand.
How do I get a trademark?
You get a trademark by applying for registration with the government agency that handles trademarks (in the U.S., this is the USPTO). Typically, you’d first search the USPTO’s online database to make sure no one else has registered a similar name or logo in your industry. Then you can file an application (online) with details about your trademark and the products or services it’s used for, and pay the required fee. After you submit your application, an examiner will review it – if everything is in order and no conflicts are found, your trademark will be registered.
How long does a trademark last?
A trademark can last indefinitely – potentially forever – as long as you continue to use it and meet a few maintenance requirements. In the U.S., a federal trademark registration initially lasts 10 years, but you can keep renewing it every 10 years (there’s also a simple check-in filing after the first five years). There’s no fixed expiration date as long as you’re still actively using the trademark and you file the renewal paperwork on time. In other words, unlike patents that expire after a set time, a trademark won’t expire on you if you keep it alive through use and renewals.
What if someone else is using a similar name?
If you discover another business using a name that’s very similar to yours, the key issue is whether customers would likely be confused between the two. Generally, trademark rights go to whoever used the name first in the marketplace for that type of product or service. So if you were using the name before the other party (especially if you have it registered), you usually have the upper hand and can ask them to stop. Often the first step is to send a cease-and-desist letter – a formal notice telling them you have trademark rights and requesting that they stop using the name. If they don’t cooperate, you may need to consider legal action to enforce your rights, but many times these situations can be resolved without going to court.
Evansville Headquarters
225 Court Street
Evansville, IN 47708
Phone: (812) 492-4478
Carmel Office
571 Monon Blvd., Second Floor, Ste. 164
Carmel, IN 46032
Phone: (317) 975-0719
Copyright © 2016-2024 Martin IP Law Group All rights reserved. No portion of this website maybe used in any manner without the express written consent of Martin IP Law Group.