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Trademark Search and Trademark Registration Resources

Does your domain name conflict with a trademark? Lots of people have reserved a domain name for their Internet business, only to discover that it conflicts with a trademark. If you have a domain name that is also registered as a trademark you could be in for legal trouble.

This page is not intended to offer legal advice.* However, we can offer you some resources to assist in your trademark search or in trademark registration.

Trademark Search

Your first step should be to see if anyone has registered the domain name or phrase that you plan to use.

There are two excellent sources. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has a direct link to their database. Like most governmental sites, it is not user friendly.

A private source that offers trademark searches is Trademark Express. Their fees are reasonable, and they can assist you in registering your trademark.

Trademark Registration and Research

For basic facts about trademarks, there are several governmental publication that will answer many of your questions concerning trademarks and the trademark registration process. Information on other topics can be found at The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) main page.

Even if you do not find any immediate conflicts with your domain name or phrase in the trademark databases above, you should secure a Comprehensive Clearance Search. This is a more exhaustive research report that will show if there are other concerns that you might need to address. There is a fee for this report, but it is well worth the investment if you want to protect your name.

There are several firms that can handle a search. We recommend Trademark Express.

Do You Need An Attorney?

While you can handle trademark registration yourself and the PTO does not require that you have legal representation to file a trademark registration, you should consider using an attorney.

The trademark registration process can get complicated, and someone could challenge your claim. There are number of good attorneys in most major cities that can represent you in registering a trademark. You should choose someone with past trademark and Internet experience. If you need an attorney, we will be glad to provide you with names of individuals that our firm has used in the past. For more information, contact us.

Be Sure To Register Your Domain Name Promptly

Unless you find an immediate conflict with your proposed domain name and registered trademark, you should register your domain name promptly. Every day thousands of domain names are registered. The domain name you are thinking about registering could be taken by someone else tomorrow!

Internet Domain Registration.

To register a domain name -- or check availability of a domain name, click here.

For more information on domain registration see our domain registration page.

* Information included on this Web site is not intended as legal advice. Neither John Bagwell personally, nor any staff members of Bagwell Internet Marketing, purport to be attorneys or to offer legal advice. For specific questions on a legal issue you will want to consult with your own attorney. We do maintain a list of copyright, trademark and Internet attorneys that we have used for our company and on behalf of our clients. Names will be provided upon request.

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