For anyone who has experience with the trademark process... how does the USPTO treat punctuation?
I ask because my scenario is this:
I have a startup that could use an apostrophe in the company name. It's similar to "flickr" not having the "e" in their name. The website with the "e" was taken (and just used a random redirect) but I grabbed the one without.
Currently, I like the logo and branding with the apostrophe. However, I'm not sure how the trademark office handles that?
Would I still hold a trademark for the mark without apostrophe (i.e. my website name) if I managed to get the mark with it? What about vice versa?
Also... what do you guys think of the use of an apostrophe at all? Will it lead to confusion when people go type the URL? Should I just drop it entirely and simplify? I've asked some people and most tend to like the branding with the apostrophe. For one, it's correct. And two, it just looks right. But it looks fine either way.
I ask because my scenario is this:
I have a startup that could use an apostrophe in the company name. It's similar to "flickr" not having the "e" in their name. The website with the "e" was taken (and just used a random redirect) but I grabbed the one without.
Currently, I like the logo and branding with the apostrophe. However, I'm not sure how the trademark office handles that?
Would I still hold a trademark for the mark without apostrophe (i.e. my website name) if I managed to get the mark with it? What about vice versa?
Also... what do you guys think of the use of an apostrophe at all? Will it lead to confusion when people go type the URL? Should I just drop it entirely and simplify? I've asked some people and most tend to like the branding with the apostrophe. For one, it's correct. And two, it just looks right. But it looks fine either way.
Anyways, any and all help is appreciated. Thanks!