For many businesses, securing a federal trademark is a key step in protecting a brand they plan to invest in for years. Understanding how the USPTO process works helps set expectations, budget intelligently, and avoid preventable delays. How long does a USPTO trademark usually take? In most cases, a federal trademark application takes about 12 to 18 months from filing to registration. Some applications move faster, and others take longer depending on office actions, oppositio

What is a trademark by Ishani Samajpati, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 https://blog.ipleaders.in/what-is-a-trademark/ Sometimes what people are really asking is: “Do I need a USPTO trademark registration?” “Can I enforce rights in my brand name or logo without registering?” The short answer is yes — you may already have trademark rights under common law if you’re using the mark in connection with goods or services. The longer answer is that if you want stronger, nationwide prot

Gasparilla Pirate Boat Float (Tampa) by dbroadwell, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gasparilla_Pirate_Boat_Float_%28Tampa%29.jpg Consent agreements are often an effective way for trademark applicants to address a likelihood-of-confusion refusal, because they reflect the parties’ own assessment of marketplace reality. As a bit of a refresher, a “consent agreement” in trademark law is where two parties agree that based on various distinguishi

You file your USPTO trademark application and wait for it to move through the USPTO review process. After filing, applications typically sit in a queue for, at the time of this article, 5-6 months before an examining attorney reviews it. After that first examination, you may receive a notice called an “Office Action.” That can feel unsettling at first, but it is a normal part of the process. A large percentage of applications receive at least one Office Action, and the USPTO’