Be in Command of Your Brands
Last week I was contacted by Amy Croll from Valadares Law Group in Ottawa. Amy has been receiving my marketing tips since I spoke at an event in Ottawa last November. Amy pointed out to me that I was not taking command of all my brands because I wasn’t leveraging the power of using the ® (trademark) symbol to identify and protect all the services and processes I had developed. Last week while I was writing copy for a new marketing service, the Media Sales Accelerator® Program, it occurred to me that because of Amy’s e-mail, that I could incorporate the ® symbol into the name and take full ownership of the Media Sales Accelerator® Program.
I’m pleased to say, that Amy has very kindly offered to share some basic information about this process with you:
A trademark does not have to be applied for or registered in order to carry the ®. This symbol simply demonstrates that you are using the word, name or logo as a trademark and are therefore establishing common law rights in your brand. To be clear, the ® symbol can be added to your website and other collateral before applying for formal trademark protection. However, it should be noted that common law rights afford restricted protection and formally registering and protecting your marks is always recommended as an offensive and defensive measure. On the other hand, the ® symbol represents registered trademark rights and should only be used once a trademark has been registered at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Owning a registration clearly shows to the public that your company values its trademark and has taken efforts to secure the exclusive rights across Canada.
Contributed by Amy Croll of Valadares Law Group (amy.croll@vlglaw.com)