Episode 167: The Secrets to Naming Your Business Like a Pro (And Dangerous Trademark Pitfalls to Avoid) with Joey Vitale

Have you considered the legal implications that naming your business could have on your overall brand? Consider what would happen if you were operating your business under a name that you didn’t realize was trademarked—you could receive a cease and desist letter requiring you to change your name. In this episode, Joey Vitale joins us to discuss the secrets to naming your business while avoiding some dangerous trademark pitfalls. Listen in as he describes whether or not you should consider a trademark for your brand name. Your brand is walking on quicksand until you secure your trademark. Joey C. Vitale is a lawyer, speaker, and business coach for online entrepreneurs and thought leaders. With his law firm and his courses, Joey helps online business owners call legal dibs on their brand name and signature methods so they never have to worry about losing their brand overnight. Secrets to Naming Your Business While not every brand needs a trademark, it’s important to at least do your research to understand if you can even use your name by running a strong trademark search. There are a few important things to understand: * Is my business name trademarked by someone else?* Would I consider my business name a strong, weak, or suggestive trademark?* Do I need to trademark my business name? Make sure you check out Joey’s Masterclass to dive deeper into his strategy for trademarking your business. Strong, Weak, and Suggestive Trademarks Not everything can or should be trademarked, which is why we break them down into strong, weak, and suggestive trademarks. A Strong Trademark is made up words or something that doesn’t mean what it is. (ex: Apple, Kajabi, etc) A Weak Trademark is a word or phrase that is too generic to be trademarked. (ex: Coffee Shop) A Suggestive Trademark comes from suggestive branding of a company. (ex: Hakuna Matata, Jaguar) If you’re still curious to dive deeper into the secrets of trademarks, check out Joey’s Masterclass! Catch the Show Notes Meet Joey (2:22) Secrets to Naming (8:36) Strong, Weak, and Suggestive Trademark (10:38) Bonnie’s Experience with Trademarks (26:24) RESOURCES MENTIONED joeycvitale.com instagram.com/joeycvitale Free masterclass on trademarks: www.joeycvitale.com/training FOLLOW ALONG Brand Strategy Podcast Instagram Pinterest