How much does it cost to trademark a name?

The USPTO charges $350 per class of goods or services, so a name in one category costs $350 in government fees. Add an attorney and most single-class filings run $650 to $2,000 all in. A logo is a separate trademark with its own $350-per-class fee.

Can I trademark a name someone is already using?

Often no. If another business uses a confusingly similar name for related goods or services, your application can be refused even if they never registered, because common-law use creates rights. Search thoroughly first. If the existing use is in a clearly unrelated field, coexistence is sometimes possible.

Should I trademark the name or the logo first?

Usually the name, as a plain word mark. It protects the words in any font or styling, which is more flexible and usually more valuable than a design mark tied to one specific logo. File the logo separately once the design is settled, since changing a registered logo means a new application.

How to Trademark a Name and Logo

Trademarking a name means clearing it, choosing the right class of goods or services, and filing an application with the USPTO for $350 per class. A logo follows the same path with one extra decision.

Trademarking a name comes down to three moves: clear it, classify it, file it. The government fee is $350 per class, and the groundwork for a clean single-class application you can do yourself. Where people lose money is skipping the first move and paying for the lesson.

Key takeaway: the filing is the easy part. Searching the name properly and describing your goods correctly are what decide whether your $350 turns into a registration or a refusal.

First, is your name even trademarkable?

Not every name can be a trademark. The strongest are invented or arbitrary, like Kodak, or Apple for computers. The weakest merely describe what you sell, "Cold Beer," "Fast Plumbing," and the USPTO often refuses those outright or registers them only after years of use. Before you fall for a literal, descriptive name, know you may be filing for something the law will not protect.

Step 1: Search before you spend

The filing fee is non-refundable, so the search is the whole game. Start free with our trademark check or the USPTO's own system, looking for identical and similar names in your category. An exact hit on related goods, and you stop and rethink. This is also where unregistered, common-law names can bite you, so the open web counts too.

Step 2: Pick your class

The USPTO sorts everything into 45 classes, and you pay per class. Clothing is one, software another, consulting a third. Pick the class that matches what you actually sell, and use the USPTO's pre-approved descriptions, since writing your own triggers a surcharge. Get this wrong and you can protect the part of your business you do not care about while leaving the rest exposed.

Step 3: File with the USPTO

File online through the USPTO. You will choose use-based, if you are already selling under the name, or intent-to-use, if you have not launched. Enter the mark, the class, a description, and a specimen showing real use, pay the fee, and wait. A clean application runs about ten months to registration.

What changes for a logo

A name and a logo are two different trademarks, so protecting both means two applications and two fees. A word mark, the name in plain text, protects the words in any font or color, which is usually the more valuable filing. A design mark protects the specific logo. If budget forces a choice, most businesses file the word mark first, because the name is what customers say and search. Add the logo once it stabilizes, since redesigning a registered logo means filing again. When it gets complicated, compare trademark attorneys, scored.