What is the purpose of a trademark?

Numerous entrepreneurs could start their story with the words “inspired by life” and Tom Revill, the founder of Plank hardware, is certainly one of them. “Plank Hardware all started with a few planks of wood and a new flat. We found that finding the right hardware at a reasonable price wasn’t so easy. We were so happy with the final pieces that we started making and selling them to friends, family and online. As a start-up, we’ve invested everything into our products and building our brand, so protecting that is really important to us.”

Filing for trademark registration is something anybody can do with a single online application. Many business owners, however, decide to wait with trademark registration because the process can appear quite complicated at first sight. Applying without a legal representative can be a difficult and time-consuming process. Mistakes and errors are easy to make and can lead to weak trademark protection or the rejection of your trademark registration altogether.

Social media plays a crucial role in the growth of any brand. If you are starting a business, prepare to leverage social media to at least some extent in the promotion of your company. Whether you make ads to run on Facebook and LinkedIn or define your company’s persona through viral posts and tweets, social media provides unique and valuable opportunities for businesses. It also can be a source of countless trademark infringements that can be detrimental to starting businesses.