How to Copyright Your Business Name: Essential Steps & Legal Protection

Your business name is really important for your company. It is on your website, the things you use to market your business, your social media profiles, the things you sell and the letters you send to customers. When your business gets bigger it becomes really important to protect your business name.

There is something you need to know: your business name is usually protected by trademark law, not copyright law. Copyright law is for things like music and books that people create. Trademark law is for your business name, the symbol of your company and the phrases you use to sell things. These are the things that make your business different, from businesses. Your business name is one of these things and trademark law is what protects it.

 

Can You Copyright a Business Name?

In most circumstances, a standalone business name cannot be copyrighted. Copyright protection is designed for original creative expression, such as written content, photographs, artwork, videos, and other creative works.

A business name, by contrast, functions primarily as a brand identifier. This is where trademark protection becomes important.

A trademark can help distinguish your business from competitors and protect a name or other distinctive branding elements when they are used in connection with particular goods or services.

JMB Davis Ben-David specifically identifies trademark protection as a way to protect brand names and logos and advises clients on securing and enforcing intellectual property rights.

Why Registering a Business Name Is Not Enough ?

A misunderstanding is that registering a company or business name automatically gives full trademark protection. It does not.

Also having a domain name does not automatically create trademark rights. These are things and should not be used instead of proper trademark protection.

If the name of your business has a lot of value in the marketplace think about getting trademark protection as part of your plan to build your brand instead of just depending on business registration or owning a domain name. 

When Should You Get Help From A Professional?

You might want to talk to someone who knows about trademarks when:

* Your name is similar to a name that already has a trademark

* You want to sell your stuff in countries

* Somebody says you cannot use the name you want for your trademark

* Another company starts using a name that's a lot like yours

* You need help figuring out what kind of things you can sell with your name on them

* You want to make sure your whole brand is protected

* You are in a fight with someone about your trademark

 

JMB Davis Ben-David has been helping people with trademark problems since 1995. They work on a lot of things like patents and trademarks and designs. They also help people when they are in a lawsuit, about trademarks. They have a team of people who work in Israel and the United States.