Patent Attorney and Founder
A trademark is how customers recognize your business in the marketplace. It’s different from your company’s legal name, the one you register with the Secretary of State.
For example, our law firm operates under Bold Patents PLLC, but we market ourselves as Bold Patents. That’s the name we trademarked because it’s what people see and remember.
Big companies do this too. Take Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. Hardly anyone refers to them as Alphabet. Google is their brand, and that’s what they protect with trademarks.
Why register a trademark? Simple—so your brand stands out and stays protected. If you sell products or services across state lines, federal trademark registration helps prevent confusion. When customers see your name, they should immediately know it’s you, not a competitor.
Think about Ivory soap. When you see “Ivory” on a package, you know exactly what you’re getting—the quality, the source, the brand reputation. No one else can sell soap under a similar name without stepping on their rights. That’s the power of a trademark.