233: She Thinks Big, So She Trademarked It with Small Business Attorney Cheri Andrews
You’ve got the big thinking ideas, but are you still thinking small when it comes to protecting them?
When I re-branded to She Thinks Big, it wasn’t just about titling my book or renaming this podcast. It encompasses my entire brand and business. I had to trademark it to ensure nobody else could claim it, and Cheri Andrews was the attorney who helped me do it.
In this episode of She Thinks Big, Cheri reveals everything you need to know about trademarks. Whether you’re just starting your business or have been at it for a while, she’ll clear up the confusion about when, why, and how to trademark your intellectual property.
What’s Covered in This Episode on How to Trademark Your Business
3:18 – What intellectual property (IP) is, the different types, and its purposes
7:58 – The best time to start thinking about trademarking
10:08 – What to consider when choosing a name to trademark and the cost of having an un-trademarkable one
13:34 – What you can expect during the trademarking process and how long it takes
21:28 – The surprising truth about the trademark and registered symbols and when you can use them
23:00 – Why you can lose the rights to your trademark even after it’s registered
25:54 – The impact of a trademark on the value of your business
27:30 – Misconceptions about LLC business names and trademarks being reserved for big business
30:08 – Your next best steps if you’re thinking about trademarking an IP
Connect with Cheri Andrews
Cheri Andrews is a speaker, author, small business attorney, and expert in intellectual property. After an award-winning career with over 30 years of legal expertise, she left law firms and corporate settings to start a company where she could practice law her way and donate a percentage of revenue to charity. She works primarily with heart-centered, service-oriented, women entrepreneurs to help protect their business, move forward with confidence, and sleep better at night. With a holistic approach, she addresses concerns you may not even know you have and proactively resolves them so that they don’t turn into legal problems.
Cheri D. Andrews, Esq. | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube
Mentioned In She Thinks Big, So She Trademarked It with Small Business Attorney Cheri Andrews
United States Patent and Trademark Office ® (USPTO)
She Thinks Big by Andrea Liebross
Quotes from the Episode
“It’s not just for big companies. In fact, it tends to be the bigger companies who own marks, who are squashing all of the small business owners because you’re not taking trademarks seriously.” - Cheri Andrews
“Nothing is guaranteed in the trademark process because the question of whether something is confusingly similar, merely descriptive, [or] even qualifies for trademark registration is a very subjective one.” - Cheri Andrews
“Once you have the registration, you have established your rights to the name, but you can lose those rights if you [aren’t] proactive about maintaining them.” - Cheri Andrews
Links to other episodes
187: Evolution of a Big Thinker: Inside the She Thinks Big Podcast Rebrand
21: Why Every Business Needs a Legal Partner with Deirdre Kirby Lydon
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