Frequently Asked Questions

I just filled out my trademark application does this mean my trademark is registered?

No, your trademark is not registered immediately upon filing an application.  During a normal process, it takes about 8months to a year before a trademark is registered.  Depending on the legal issues that may arisein the examination of the application, the process may take up to severalyears.

Onceyour application is filed, it takes about three months for an examiner at theUSPTO to examine it to determine if your mark qualifies for registration.  If the examinerdetermines that your mark qualifies, the USPTO publishes the trademark in theOfficial Gazette (an online publication of the USPTO). The Gazette states thatthe trademark is a candidate for registration, thus, providing existingtrademark owners with an opportunity to object to the registration.  If someone objects, the USPTO will schedule ahearing to resolve the dispute.  If noone objects, you should receive a response from the USPTO within a year.  If the examiner determines that your markdoes not qualify for registration, you will receive an office action explainingthe examiner’s reasons for objection. You have six months from the date of the office action to respond andrefute the examiner’s objections.