Partner
Roger Emerson
Areas of Practice
Intellectual Property (patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets) domain name law, defamation, injuries to reputation, unfair competition
Assistance in Filing U.S. Trademarks
How your brand represents itself matters. When you’ve created certain identifiers that people recognize as being yours, you need to protect them. In today’s market, you might deal with business far beyond the country you’re based in. Because of this, you likely want to ensure that your trademarks are protected in other countries, including the United States. While this can be complicated, it’s possible for you to file for U.S. trademark protection while you’re located in another country. If you want to file a trademark application in the U.S., you’ll need the help of a United States attorney to do so.
The intellectual property attorneys at the law firm of Emerson Thomson Bennett provide comprehensive services to international companies seeking trademark protection in the United States. We obtain federal trademark registrations that protect the owner’s interests nationwide.
Why File for a U.S. Trademark from a Foreign Country?
There can be a number of advantages to obtaining a federal trademark registration, including the ability to pursue infringement actions in federal court and having the option of seeking statutory, rather than actual, damages. In order to obtain a federal trademark registration, it must be used in commerce, or you must have the intent to use it in commerce. There are specific steps that need to be taken in order for international companies to obtain federal trademark registration in the United States.
How ETB Helps International Companies File from Abroad
Applying for a trademark doesn’t mean that your IP is protected worldwide, which is why additional steps are necessary to ensure you have the right protection. Our lawyers have successfully represented clients in trademark applications through the Madrid Protocol as well as individual inquiries from colleagues at law firms around the world.
The Madrid Union currently includes over 130 countries and makes up 80% of world trade. Through the Madrid Protocol, you can file one trademark application that can protect you in all of the countries that belong to the Madrid Union, which includes the United States. However, as countries have different requirements for trademarks, you need to ensure yours meet the requirements of the countries where you need protection. We can also help international companies file directly through the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
