Trademark Services for Creatives & Entrepreneurs

Your trademark is more than a name or logo, but how the world recognizes your work. Whether you're launching a new brand or expanding an existing one, protecting your trademark is essential to growing your business and staying legally secure.

As a trademark attorney in Los Angeles, I work closely with creatives, startups, and small business owners to guide them through the full trademark process—from strategy to application, enforcement, and beyond.

What Is a Trademark and Why Does It Matter?

A trademark is any word, slogan, logo, or design that identifies the source of your goods or services. It legally distinguishes your brand from others and gives you the right to stop others from using confusingly similar names or symbols. Unlike a trade name (your business name), a registered trademark gives you enforceable legal rights.

Trademark rights can last indefinitely—as long as you keep using the mark and maintain your registration.

Types of Trademarks

There are two primary types of trademarks:

Whether you’re offering products or services, your trademark helps customers connect with your brand—and gives you protection from copycats.

Trademark vs. Copyright: What's the Difference?

Whether you’re offering products or services, your trademark helps customers connect with your brand—and gives you protection from copycats.

How I Help You Protect Your Trademark

My trademark services include everything you need to file and protect your mark with confidence:

Trademark Research

I review existing federal, state, and common law trademarks to uncover potential conflicts.

USPTO Applications:

I handle the full federal trademark application process, including identifying the correct class(es) and preparing the required documents.

Trademark Infringement Support:

From cease and desist letters to settlement negotiations, I help enforce and defend your rights.

Search Reviews & Legal Opinions:

You'll get a clear assessment of your trademark’s registrability and the likelihood of success.

Trademark Licensing & Sales:

I draft, review and negotiate trademark licensing agreements that empower you monetize your brand.

How Long Does It Take to Register a Trademark?

The USPTO typically takes about 10 months to initially review an application. If you apply for the mark based on Actual Use, the mark may be registered in another 2-6 months after the initial 10 months. If you apply for the mark based on Intent to Use, then, the mark will typically be registered within 2-6 months of submitting proof of use in commerce, after the initial 10 months.

If you haven’t started using the mark yet, we can file an application based on Intent to Use and later submit a Statement of Use within 3 years of the date of the Notice of Allowance. If needed, extensions are available for a fee for 6 months at a time with up to 5 total extensions.

How Do I Choose a Strong Trademark?

Choose a trademark that is helpful to you from a business or marketing perspective and a legal perspective. From a legal perspective, the first user (senior user) of a trademark usually has priority over later users in their geographic area. So, before you invest time and money, make sure that the trademark you want won’t be considered confusingly similar to any other mark. From a legal perspective, trademarks are usually considered stronger when they are “arbitrary” or “suggestive”. Weaker trademarks are usually “descriptive” or “merely descriptive”.

Arbitrary trademarks such as Amazon and fanciful trademarks such as Hulu are the strongest trademarks and receive the highest degree of protection.
Suggestive trademarks such as Benefit Cosmetics for cosmetics, suggesting consumers will achieve some gain or reward from using the brand’s products, also receive trademark protection.
Descriptive trademarks such as World Book Encyclopedia get trademark protection only if the owner can show that the trademark has acquired significant recognition by consumers.
Merely Descriptive or Generic trademarks are generally not protectable, such as “Athletic Shoes” for a brand of sneakers.

Trademark rights generally come from use of the mark in connection with the sale of goods, or displaying the mark in connection with the sale or advertising of services. A trademark may be applied for on an Intent to Use basis or on an Actual Use basis

Let’s Protect What You’ve Built

Your brand deserves protection that reflects its value. Whether you’re just starting out or expanding globally, I offer smart, clear trademark legal services designed for creatives and entrepreneurs.

Should You Monitor Your Trademark?

Yes — because owning a trademark is only the first step. It’s also your responsibility to monitor and enforce it. I help clients police their marks, identify potential infringement, and take action before problems escalate.

Going Global? You May Need International Protection

If you’re selling products or services internationally, your U.S. trademark doesn’t protect you overseas. I help clients secure international trademarks through the Madrid Protocol and collaborate with foreign counsel when needed.

What Steps Do I Take to Apply for My Trademark?

After you choose a potential trademark, then conduct a trademark search, if the trademark you want is clear, then apply for the trademark. It is usually a good idea to have an experienced trademark attorney help you. Here’s more detail on the process:

Search

After you have narrowed down a list of potential trademarks and chosen the one you want, our next step is to have your attorney order a comprehensive trademark search. A comprehensive search covers all existing as well as pending state and federal trademarks. That search typically results in a long report about other trademarks that may be considered confusingly similar to yours.

Search Review

Your attorney reviews the search to determine whether the trademark you want is clear (unlikely to be confused with preexisiting trademarks). When making that determination, your attorney will consider the channel of commerce, the similarity of the marks in terms of spelling, meaning, appearance, sound, and other factors from trademark law. Since it is generally the case that no trademark is 100% guaranteed to be registered, part of your trademark attorney’s job is to give you an estimate of the likelihood that your proposed trademark is clear and will be registered.

Application:

if the trademark appears clear, the next step is to have your attorney apply for the trademark. The cost of applying for a federal trademark includes a government filing fee of $350 per class of goods or services (for non-custom written descriptions) and $550 per class (for custom written descriptions) plus the fees of an attorney. Class, also called International Class, refers to a specific category of goods or services that the proposed trademark falls into–such as clothing or furniture–and these classes have been established by the USPTO.

Let’s talk

How to protect your mark — and your momentum.

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Trademarks