How to Register a Trademark in Mississippi

Introduction

Trademark registration is the process of getting your mark on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) register. This action gives you legal ownership over your mark and allows you to take legal action against infringers, who may be using your trademark or similar marks in their own businesses. In this article, we’ll go through each step to register for a trademark in Mississippi.

Register for a Trademark in Mississippi

The trademark registration process begins with the filings. Once your application is filed, you’ll be given a filing date and the USPTO will assign an examining attorney to review it. This process can take up to two years! If you don’t like what your trademark examiner says about your application, you can appeal his/her decision (or even switch examiners). While your application is in review status at the USPTO, no one else can file another application for your mark in any class—you have priority over all other applicants.

Publication of the Trademark

The publication is a legal requirement. It is a way of informing the public that you have registered your trademark, and it also means that you have not registered your trademark. Your trademark will be published in the Official Gazette to let others know. They can then oppose if they find your trademark similar to theirs.

Opposition Period

After that, a 30-day opposition period begins. At this time, anyone can oppose your application for trademark registration by submitting a formal notice of their opposition to the USPTO. This is when things get interesting because this is when you have to play defense as well as offense. If someone opposes your application, they’re not trying to steal it from you. They just want to make sure that no one else gets sole rights over the same mark.

It’s important to note here that even if someone does oppose your mark during this period and it seems like they have a shot at winning the case (because they’ve got more money or connections than you do), don’t panic! It’s still possible for both sides to reach an agreement so neither side has to go through with litigation (which can be expensive).

Final Step

If no opposition is filed during the 30-day period, you can move forward with registration. If there is opposition, your trademark won’t be registered. The opposition period lasts for 30 days and can be extended to 45 days if you so choose.

If someone files an opposition against your application, you have the opportunity to respond and provide evidence that supports the validity of your claim. Before responding to the opposition, it’s important to review all relevant documents related to your application (including any amendments). You should also contact us so we can help determine whether any changes need to be made before submitting a response.

Takeaway

You have to register your trademark with the USPTO in order to protect it. Registration gives you legal ownership of your mark and allows you to take legal action against infringers.

Marking your goods or services with a federally registered trademark prevents another party from using that same or similar mark on their own goods or services. It also prevents other parties from using generic terms as trademarks, such as “the game” being used as a sports team’s name (the San Francisco 49ers) or “Starbucks” for coffee shops everywhere. In addition to protecting yourself from having someone else steal your brand identity, registering also increases how likely people are going to recognize it as unique—which can help increase sales!

Conclusion

We hope this article has given you a good introduction to the trademark registration process in Mississippi. If you feel that it is time to take the next step and protect your brand, contact us today for more information about how we can help!