Trademarks are a combination of unique words, images, or phrases that identify your business and grant intellectual property rights to the owner. While filing and paying for a trademark is not that expensive, you must understand that the attorney fees you incur for legal representation can stretch your finances to the limit. However, that does not mean people who cannot afford to pay may never get their trademark registered. There are quite a few workarounds to avail of your trademark benefit.

Inventor and entrepreneur resources

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) provides affordable assistance for filing trademarks and patents. Several states offer free legal representation to simplify the process. A detailed list of countries that provide free services with the guarantee of legal protection for your brand or invention is made available on their official website. Filing directly with the USPTO is the cheapest way to get a trademark.

Common-law marks

There is a legal advantage to federally registering a trademark, especially in possible cases of property infringement. But there is a cheap way to get a brand with common-law marks, including the most popular (™) symbol. It identifies your claim on the design or logo you are currently using, without the need for federal registration. These are good marks offering fundamental protectable rights in the country, used by businesses and brands that may file for a trademark in the future to avail of legal rights altogether. Though essential, it is still one of the cheapest ways to get a brand.

Online legal assistance

The cost of legal assistance to apply, track, and monitor your trademark application is substantial only if you go through a law firm. However, many online legal resources hire independent attorneys with affordable quotes for specific and limited services. Places like legalzoom.com, ipwatchdog.com, onlinetrademarkattorneys.com, and legal-sherpa.com, to name a few, offer exclusive application and filing services for a small fee. Note that you incur these costs over and above the standard fees payable at the USPTO filing office.

Before you can explore the cheapest way to get a trademark, understand that the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office has the final say about accepting or rejecting your application. The process can take months from the initial application to notification of final status.