Protecting thousands of brands every day requires breakthrough innovation and proactive strategy. We know. It's what we do.
Trademarks are one of the most important assets your company owns. A trademark is an icon, an instantly recognizable mini-profile of your brand. When properly secured, trademarks boost brand recognition, generate continual income streams, differentiate from your competitors, and in some cases, can be worth more than the physical assets of the company itself.
Providing experience from the inside out.
Merchant & Gould is consistently ranked as a top filer of trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Our trademark group includes three former Examining Attorneys who have collectively examined more than 14,000 trademark applications during their time at the USPTO, in industries from consumer goods, chemicals, natural resources, and industrial goods to healthcare, technology, utilities, and services. This inside knowledge of the Trademark Office allows us to predict the registrability of any type of mark. Our Group maintains an intimate familiarity with the people and processes of the Trademark Office, allowing us to secure registrations with an efficiency that few others can match.
Our TTAB experts, domain name experts, international trademark experts, licensing experts and trial attorneys have helped Merchant & Gould earn its reputation as one of the top trademark and copyright practices in the U.S. and globally. Our trademark database includes more than 60,000 records for hundreds of clients. We clear more than 20,000 docket dates per year.
Building strong brands with preventative measures.
Before adopting and using a trademark or service mark, it's critical to conduct the appropriate due diligence to ensure the mark is available for use and registration in the places you want to use it. A relatively small investment in trademark searching before using the mark or filing trademark applications can help eliminate the risks of potential third-party challenges, the significant costs of related litigation, and the potential need to rebrand your products and services.
Trademark Practice Group Co-Chairs Christopher J. Schulte & Danielle I. Mattessich