How to register a trademark for Games and Sporting goods

Introduction

If you have a game or sporting goods business, it’s important to protect your brand and your intellectual property. A trademark is a sign that identifies and distinguishes the source of products or services from other suppliers. By registering a trademark, you can prevent others from using confusingly similar marks that may cause consumer confusion.

Claim your trademark on the USPTO website.

• Visit the USPTO website
• Click on “Trademarks”
• Click on “Trademark Electronic Application System”
• Click on “Search Trademark Database”
• Enter your search terms, such as “GameName Here,” and click Search

Indicate if your trademark is in use yet.

Whether you’ve already started using your trademark or not, if you want to register a trademark for games and sporting goods, it’s important to know how registering a trademark works.

If you’re ready to file for registration, use the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) form on the USPTO website. The process is simple and only takes a few minutes:

• Fill in all required fields
• Upload any necessary documents (if applicable)
• Pay the appropriate fee
• Submit your application

Determine what category you need to register in.

There are 45 categories of goods and services on the trademark list. A good rule of thumb is to choose one that most closely aligns with your product or service. For example, if you’re selling a line of yoga pants, don’t choose Apparel as your category—it would exclude yoga mats! Instead, choose Clothing as the category for your trademark application because it’s more precise and will help ensure that your trademark is registered correctly. If you’re not sure where to start, call an intellectual property attorney; they’ll be able to help guide you through the process and make sure everything’s done right from day one.

Specify how you’re using the mark (on games, clothing, packaging, etc).

When registering a trademark, you will be asked to specify how you’re using the mark. You should be as specific and accurate as possible in your answer. For example, if you are registering a trademark for use on board games, it would not be acceptable to simply answer that you want to use the mark on all games. Instead, your answer should describe exactly what type of game (e.g., Monopoly or Risk) and any other details that help clarify what you mean by “all games.”

If this step is unclear or confusing at all, ask yourself: If someone asked me why they could not use my trademarked word/phrase/logo on their product in any way whatsoever without permission from me first (and without paying me), would I have an easy time explaining why? If so—great! Keep going with that answer; if not—go back and try again until it does.

Search the USPTO website for possible conflicts with other trademarks.

During the trademark application process, you will have to search the USPTO website for possible conflicts with other trademarks.

This is fairly straightforward and should only take a few minutes to complete if you have all of your information ready and organized beforehand. The main issues that arise when doing this are:

• Other companies may be using similar names for their products, which could lead to confusion among consumers who may think your product is theirs or vice versa;
• If there is an existing company in the same field as yours, it can sometimes be difficult to get a trademark approved because they might argue that there’s already confusion between their brand name and yours;
• It’s important not only that you conduct thorough research into existing trademarks but also into how they were registered. For example, if someone else has registered “electronic sports” in Class 9 under state law instead of federal law like eBay did when they filed their trademark application on 2009/02/04, then they wouldn’t have the same rights as eBay in trademark law. This is because state law trademarks are considered weaker than federal law ones; If you’re filing a trademark application and it gets rejected, there is no right of appeal like there is with patents. In fact, if you apply for a trademark and your application gets denied, it’s best to start over or try something different

Takeaway

Registering a trademark for your game or sporting goods can help you protect your brand and intellectual property. When you register a trademark, you’re making it known to others that they can’t use that name or logo without your permission and also give them notice of who owns the mark.

Registering a trademark will allow you to prevent others from using it, and stop confusing customers into thinking that their products are associated with yours.

Conclusion

The process of registering a trademark can be complicated, but it’s important to do so if your brand is valuable. The USPTO website has all the information you need to register your trademark and protect yourself from others infringing on it.