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I’m thrilled to announce that as of May 2019, Girl Chases Dreams® has officially been registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office! While it’s been a long six months, I’m happy to announce that we eased on through with no rejections, denials or expensive revision requests. All thanks to my attorney Randy who made this process super easy. If you’re looking for an attorney to make your process as easy as mine, click here to work with Randy & save $100 off his services.
I still can feel my stomach fall to my ankles when I think about the day I discovered that someone had trademarked my blog name. My stomach twisted into a giant anxious knot and my fingers trembled as I scrolled down justia.com and recited the official legal owner of my brand. I was devastated. This wasn’t just a blog. I had plans to launch my own stationary line, launch a membership community, and build out a platform that would be as memorable as Girlboss.
But I wasn’t giving up. In fact, I was in complete denial.
It had been a year since I decided to launch my blog, of course I had some rights? I googled, and discovered something called common law trademark which meant that because I was the first to use the name in commerce (aka first to make money with it) meant I had legal rights. As quickly as the words left my lips, I called up one of my attorney friends to see how I could get this resolved. I was the first owner, that meant this was all a mistake that needed to be corrected in the United States Trademark office. When I explained to her my situation, she told me it was a little bit more complicated than that.
While yes, I am the first owner, because I had not registered the trademark, I would have to go to great lengths to prove that not only had I used the trademark first in commerce but that I had also built a fairly recognizable brand (which I had not considering that I was only one year in). This would be a very expensive and long fight that I could potentially lose considering I didn’t have the notoriety of a Girlboss. Being that I was just getting started, I knew my pockets were no match for the brilliant millionaire woman that had legally purchased the mark.
Oh yeah — and common law trademark? Screw that. With common law, you basically only get rights for the home state and territory that you operate in. I’m building a digital brand. That meant I was cut off at the shins the moment someone registered my old brand name.
Just like that, I had to give up my blog, my domain, and my socials. Because even if I took on the measly little common trademark rights, the ® next to a brand’s name solidifies its legitimacy, and everyone around the world respects it as the authority over that name.
As much as it hurt at the time, I am very grateful for this loss because I never would’ve founded Girl Chases Dreams®.
And unlike many other Influencers, Bloggers and Entrepreneurs who’ve spent years building their blog and their business only to have to start all over because someone else trademark their name, I was barely off the ground.
Now that I’m in the clear, I’ve made it my duty to make sure that every Influencer, Blogger and Entrepreneur protects their brand name and knows how easy and affordable trademarking can be.
My trademark cost me $600. To those of you who may not be familiar with investing a ton of money into yourself, this really isn’t that expensive compared to how much we spend on things like courses, coaching and photoshoots–and it’s definitely not as expensive as starting all over with a new name, and relinquishing whatever SEO and authority you had over the old one. If you’re spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on clothes, cameras, lighting, or on one of the countless Instagram Growth programs, you better be trademarking!
It doesn’t matter if right now your brand is only a blog or a YouTube channel. If you are currently (or plan on) making money via ads, sponsored posts, affiliate links or hope to one day sell physical or digital products, protect the investment you are making into your brand.
EVERYTHING YOU DIDN’T REALIZE YOU NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT TRADEMARKING YOUR BRAND:
1. The long version: Why you should trademark your brand as an influencer, blogger or entrepreneur!
In this post, I go extensively into why you should trademark your brand as an Influencer, Blogger and Entrepreneur. And if you think you can wait, learn from the woman that waited forever to trademark her blog only to discover after hiring an attorney that someone had trademarked her blog name 3 days prior. If you’re guessing she had to scrap the brand she spent years building, you’re right! That meant — buying a new domain, changing all her socials, and starting from ground zero. Click here to read the post.
2. How to Trademark Your Brand — Step by Step {Video}
Ready to trademark your brand but the whole process just seems overwhelming? Well then head over to the Girl Chases Dreams youtube channel because I did an entire video taking you behind the scenes of my trademarking journey, the costs of trademarking, and how easy it is when you work with someone like my attorney Randy. Click here to learn how to trademark your brand.
3. Want to know more about my trademark drama? I talk about the pain of having to give up a brand I spent an entire year building.
Don’t forget — you can save $100 off your legal services when you use my link to work with Randy or hire your own attorney off of UpCounsel. Click here to save $100!
