Business Trademarks: What Your Small Business Needs to Know

This article will look at what a business trademark is (and what it isn't), how to make sure it's available for use, and how to register your logo for protection.

What is a trademark?

A trademark is a word, phrase, image, or other sign or signifier that connects a product or service to its source. (For services, the term "service mark" is sometimes alternately used.) It can be either registered or unregistered.

For example, the Pepsi logo is commonly recognized in conjunction with the company; if you saw the logo on the side of a soft drink or other product, you would know without a doubt that Pepsi-Cola is responsible for that product.

How can you be so sure? Federal law states that no other company would be able to use the logo on their own product, since this would cause confusion in the eyes of the public.

(Fun fact: Trade and service marks have ancient origins! Blacksmiths, weavers, and other producers of high-quality merchandise used to place a unique symbol on their work so their customers could be assured they weren't purchasing a cheap knock-off a premium prices.)

How does a trade or service mark differ from a copyright?

While both types of intellectual property protection can cover a logo, the scope of this protection varies slightly.

Trade or service marks protect the connection between the logo and the company, the product and the source.

Copyrights protect the unauthorized use, display, or reproduction of an image, regardless of its connection with a product, service, company, or similar.

(Fun fact: Not all trademarks are eligible for copyright protection. For example, "names and short phrases" cannot be copyrighted, so business names and slogans could only be trademarks. And a logo made primarily out of text typically cannot be copyright protected as an image; to be eligible, there would need to be a significant amount of original authorship outside the use of letters.)

How do I know if my logo is already in use?

First, it must be said that it is exceedingly difficult to track down all potential matches, simply because by its very definition there is no central database in which all unregistered trademarks are recorded (because they're unregistered). However, there are a few places that you can look to greatly reduce your chances of infringement:

Internet Search

Just by running Google and other search engine searches of the trademark in question, as well as any potential alternate spellings, you will narrow down a great deal of your search, since in today's world most businesses have some sort of an online presence. (And while you're at it, it's not a bad idea to see if your trade or service mark is available as a domain name; just type "trademark".com, -.net, and -.org into your browser and see what comes up!)

ThomasNet

Calling itself "an industrial search engine, this is a database maintained by Thomas Industrial NetworkSM, a leader in industry and product information. This is one of the largest sources of unregistered trade and service mark information in the country.

Network Solutions

This database is like ThomasNet, but for domain names. If a person or company has reserved a domain name, you'll be able to find out -- and you can presume that a domain name for a website used commercially is a business trade and service mark.

Business Records

Unregistered trade and service marks are going to be more of a concern if they're in use in your industry and in your geographical area, so it isn't a bad idea to check your Secretary of State's database of registered businesses. Depending on your state, your County Clerk may also hold its own separate registry of unincorporated businesses.

How do I register my trade or service mark?

It's probably clear by now that its much less problematic to register your business trade or service mark, creating an official record of its commercial use.

The US Patent and Trademark Office is the government entity in charge of these registrations (and, unsurprisingly, patents as well). However, it is generally a good idea to go through an attorney familiar with intellectual property and commercial law, as the application process can take up to two years and is very complex. There are also many excellent third-party companies that can apply with the USPTO on your behalf.

For further reading, the USPTO provides a wealth of great information on the topic.

Information Marketing - 5 Ways To Create Streams Of Never-Ending Income

One of the benefits of having an ebook on the web is leverage. You can use it in so many ways to generate backend income and also generate viral traffic to your web page. There's just so many things you can take advantage of.

Here are 5 ways you can look into to create streams of never-ending income from your information product:

1. Set Up An Affiliate Program

One of the surest ways to create passive income from your information product is by setting up an affiliate program. You can set one easily on Clickbank. It only takes 3 days for approval and you are ready to get started. An affiliate program allows others to promote your product to earn a commission from every sale.

2. Pass Resell Rights To Others

Give the resell rights to others, meaning you allow others to resell your ebook and keep 100% of the profits. If you include your domain name on the cover, this is free publicity and branding for you.

3. Cross Promote Products In Your Ebook

You can cross promote and recommend affiliate products in your ebook. You can also recommend your customer to take a look at your other products that you have created.

4. Pass Giveaway Rights To Others

This is usually for free reports that you create to giveaway. You can pass the giveaway rights to others and they will give the report to others too, further spreading your 'virus'.

5. Set Up A Membership Site

Compile a set of your information products and create a membership site. Every month, you can release a new product to your subscriber base. A membership site lets you collect payments on a monthly basis with very little work!

Wholesale Lots - How to Run Your Wholesale Products Business Online Without Wasting Your Money

It is a human nature that all of us want to succeed. Same thing with online business, once you start with this online selling business, you cannot stop to aim high. We need to prove to our existing and future clients that we are one of the best online shops that are available in the market. Being on top is only possible if you sell quality products. You must know where to look for the best suppliers. You need to consider some important points for you to be the best.

1. You need to know what type of commodity you want to sell.
2. Consider the type of supplier you want to deal with.
3. Do you want to sell only the original ones or even the fake ones.
4. Are you considering other items in your shop.

It is really important in your online business to get a nice and reliable supplier. eBay a reputable auction powerhouse, tried and tested for several years now is a very reliable wholesale products source. You can go to their website and type in right product categories. For example, you are looking for make-ups, type in cosmetics or if you are interested the latest gadgets, you can type in electronics. You also need to check their customer's feedback. If they have more negative feedback, you need to stay away from that supplier.

Another great source for your wholesale products business is China. The first thing you must think is its location and the language barrier. It is important that you have constant communication with your supplier. It is so hard for you if your supplier in China and they do not have offices around the world. However, you must still consider them as one of the best supplier because it is already a given fact that they produce really low prices.

Lastly, the business-to-business portals. They give you the right to use the long list of reliable wholesale business suppliers. However, some of them will require you to register immediately to their system without the chance of checking their authenticity and fraud. So you really need to be careful in selecting companies in the list.