In order to register or copyright as a trademark what are the legal requirements?

cag1970

Copyright registration is handled in the United States through the U.S. Copyright Office. Registration is not required to protect the copyright--copyright is established once your work is set in a given medium (audio recording, video tape, written word, etc.)--but it does establish a public record of the work and is required in order to bring about any infringement suit. Copyright registration can be done electronically or in paper format. You must provide a copy of the work, along with the associated paperwork and appropriate fees, in order to obtain registration. The U.S. Copyright Office's requirements can be accessed here: http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/ http://www.copyright.gov/docs/fees.html Mar 24 09, 4:27 PM

Baloo55th

I think the question is about trademarks which are different from copyright. Haven't got time to go into it myself - bed time here - so over to you. Mar 24 09, 4:56 PM

cag1970

I think you're right, Baloo. Since I've already covered copyright, I'll tackle trademark as well. Copyright protects literary and artistic works. A trademark is, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, "a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others." http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/doc/basic/trade_defin.htm Like copyright, registration of a trademark is not required. Use of the Trademark symbol, TM, is permitted until the trademark is registered. The Registered Trademark symbol, ®, cannot be used until a trademark is registered. The trademark application must include the following elements: * the name of the applicant; * a name and address for correspondence; * a clear drawing of the mark; * a listing of the goods or services; and * the filing fee for at least one class of goods or services. http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/doc/basic/appcontent.htm Mar 24 09, 5:41 PM