The Importance of Evaluating the Trademark Prior to Choosing a Business Name

Do you know how your company decided on its name? Was a trademark search conducted in conjunction with this choice or was the name simply decided on without giving any thought to potential trademark issues? If your company is like many and made its naming choices without consideration of the trademark aspects of the potential choice, then it could be making a very costly mistake. Not only is it possible that the company may have chosen a mark that will not be protectable down the road, but it is also possible that the company may have chosen a mark that is infringing of a third party mark. Even if the company suffers no legal consequences as a result of a poor choice, the company could end up having to re-brand, which has the potential to be expensive and could negatively impact a carefully built online marketing strategy and presence. If this is your company's situation, taking action sooner rather than later would be advisable. Making a small investment today into trademarks could save the company a significant amount of headaches down the road. This Forbes commentator shares some additional insights on the issue of protecting your company's trademarks: