By: Chase Howard
In a recent article, I touched on some of the reasons to consider trademark registration and what is required. Many people hear trademarks and might think only of the Federal registration through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Florida, however, also offers state level registration for marks that likely won’t qualify at the Federal level.
Trademark registration grants an intellectual property rights that help its owner protect a brand’s mark, logo, name or any other way that it conveys intangible property.
Trademark protection is available under both Federal and State law. Federal trademark protection allows the brand owner to protect their trademark in interstate commerce, while Florida registration allows trademark protection for marks only in the state of Florida. Florida law does share a lot of the same concepts and requirements of the Federal trademark requirements, however is limited only to protection in the State of Florida. Florida trademarks are less expensive and easier to obtain than Federal trademarks, but are superseded by a Federal trademark registration.
Here are some key differences between a Federal and Florida Mark:
In both cases, the application process is detailed and can take a few months, and usually longer, to complete. We’re here to help you protect your brand.
Download the chart as a PDF here.