Customer Reviews

Trademark: Legal Care for Your Business & Product Name

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If I'd read this book before starting my business several years ago, I would have saved thousands of dollars invested in a company name (letterheads, business cards, brochures, advertising, etc.) I discovered was really not mine to use. For those who are serious about building a business in today's global, electronic marketplace, it's absolutely essential the name of your business be strong,well-protected and NOT THE LEGAL PROPERTY OF SOMEONE ELSE. This book will give you the basic knowledge to get off on the right foot. And it will save you huge legal fees today and in the future.

This book is an excellent introduction to the concepts of trademarks. It's in its seventh edition, so it's been around long enough to get errors worked out and up to date enough to reflect the latest legal changes.

This book is a good introduction to trademark law. It seems to fit into two categories. If you're working for a big company (or a company that wants to grow big) use this for its information value and then go get professional trademark help from a specialist attorney.

If you're a little company like me, this is probably all that you need. For a dozen years I've owned the domain name [...]. I got a nasty letter from the attorney for Doubleday Book Clubs saying that I was infringing on their domain name of [...] and that they wanted me to stop. I wrote back to them and said that I wasn't infringing because I didn't run a book club, my pages didn't look at all like theirs, etc. I never heard from them again.

Mr. Elias, if you happen to read this, in your next edition, I'd like to see you expand Chapter 2 on domain names. They haven't replaced trademarks, but are becomming more and more important.

To my knowledge, the best, simple, handy reference for Trademark available.

It's very useful in planning and getting an overview.

I give the book a 4 because anyone who can take the complexities and vagaries of legalese and make a useful book deserves it. I can not give them a 5 because they did not (and to be fair perhaps could not) address more of the vagaries of conflicting use and claims of trademark - perhaps that is another book.

Very good overall, you won't be dissatisfied especially if used in conjunction with further state and web research.

I needed a book that not only explained trademarks, the different types and rules and regulations, but also up-to-date step-by-step instructions on how to apply for one. This book was perfect - even has current screenshots from the US gov trademark website. I read the book in 2 evenings, followed the instructions, and currently have a pending trademark. Saved me over a thousand bucks in legal fees if I had a lawyer do it - and it's so simple, if you just have a little knowledge which this book provides. Well worth the very minor cost. Highly recommended.

This is a great resource for marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, and non-trademark attorneys to understand the basics of trademark law. However, this book is no substitute for professional legal advice from an experienced trademark attorney when it comes to protection a property that is becoming scarce and more valuable as business migrates into the online world.

The book helped me learn several key things about marks [names]. (1) Be the very first one to use your mark. If you don't know that you are the first one then the book will help you get started with your research. If you aren't the first one to use your mark then someone else may have superior rights and sue the heck out of you. Federal or State registration is fairly important to protect your mark but is secondary in the big scheme of things because it's all about first use. (2) Fighting somebody who is using your mark that has a lot more money than you is probably a losing deal in the long run. (3) You don't need a lawyer to register your mark. (4) If your mark has the look of or sounds a lot like another person's mark you may be in big trouble.

The book is more about how to find and keep a valid mark than about "legal care for your business and product name." The book is very helpful about the Federal registration process, especially about the proper use of disclaimers. The book falls a little short in exactly how to register your mark internationally, before or after registering in the U.S.

Nolo Press once again did not disappoint me. I was looking for basic information about the Trademark process and they provided a description in "plain-English" that walked me through the process, defined terms, even offered some advice on how to handle disputes.

Good reference for us non-lawyers!

As a small business owner a lot of areas of the law are confusing. Especially confusing when you see your marketplace getting larger and larger because of the internet. Trademarking your business name or logo are important to avoid consumers confusing your business for another - or more important, so that you don't end up with a legal fight over who started using your logo or name first with another company.

I went through the process recommended by the book and I would heartedly say that if you just follow the instructions you can register your mark with federal Patent and Trademark Office by yourself without an attorney. It is important to carefully read the disclaimers that the book offers in the beginning about when it is appropriate to seek the advice of an attorney.

An important point I realized after I read this. You had better not have anything better to do with your time than register your own mark. With the amount of time that I spent to read the book, follow the instructions, actually completing the registration and worrying that I did it correct it might have been worth the $2000 that I was quoted from an attorney to do this for me. When you hire an attorney you get a guarantee that it was done right (malpractice) and you can go on to do other things. To each their own business decisions.

This is my second experience with a NOLO publication and they are both easily definitive on the subjects. As far as this one....not only did it answer all my questions (I've owned 4 business for about 16 years) but more importantly for me brought up potential issues which I am now going to proactively deal with. At 450 pages...its a ridiculous value for those starting business or like myself who already have a business but not a team of attorneys on staff for these issues. This book goes far beyond merely presenting the facts and raising issues it instructs in how to proceed ,how to appeal and more. This is not just trademark, its copyright and domain names, and so much more.

If you stumbled onto this item because you have trademark concerns...this will be the best money you have ever spent.

You can count on Nolo Press to provide excellent background information to help you develop a strategy regarding legal issues. And, I don't know how much an attorney would charge you for much of the same information -- but, the last one I spoke with wanted $250 an hour !

I'm into self-help, if only to make sure that the person I consult for expert advice knows what he's talking about. (smile) So, this book, the 9th edition of Nolo's title on Trademarks, by attorneys Stephen R. Elias and Richard Stim, is well-worth the modest $39.99 investment. You'll find tips on how to develop a distinctive trademark that competitors will have a difficult time copying; how to conduct a search for trademarks that may conflict with the one you're developing; how to register your trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office; how to protect the trademark, and -- if you get into a dispute -- how to keep the lawyers out and resolve the issues out-of-court; followed by, discussions of Trademark Law, domain names, and what to do if someone infringes on your trademark.

Highly recommended for corporate, public and college/university library collections as well as anyone seeking to develop and/or protect a trademark.

R. Neil Scott, MLS/MBA
Middle Tennessee State University