What is the protection afforded by a trademark?
A trademark is a type of intellectual property law that offers protection for words, symbols, or designs used to represent a business or product. In Washington, trademarks protect a business’s brand and the products associated with it. They are unique to a business and no other product or business can use the same or a confusingly similar trademark. Trademarks help distinguish your business from others and serve as a source of goodwill with customers. They can be associated with the products, services, or overall brand image of a business. In Washington, registering your trademark helps protect it from being illegally used by competitors. Trademarks also allow businesses to prevent competitors from creating similar and infringing products. This can prevent competitors from misusing a business’s reputation and confusing the public by misrepresenting their products. Additionally, trademarks provide exclusive rights so that other businesses cannot use the same symbol, design, or even just a confusingly similar mark to identify their own products. Finally, by registering their trademarks, businesses in Washington can use them as evidence in court when it comes to enforcing their rights. They can also gain exclusive rights to the trademark in other countries, as long as it complies with the local laws in each country.
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