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The world of media, marketing and business has changed dramatically over the past decade.  The breakup of the all-powerful information delivery systems from our past – think national newspapers and television networks –has significantly leveled the playing field for small businesses. 

Now, a local business in Spokane, Washington (or Austin, Texas!) can distribute their product as well as their brand locally, nationally and even globally online.  The end result of this gigantic media shift is an increased priority on protecting and controlling your company’s image and name across multiple mediums.  Here’s why:

Websites and blogs on the internet are far more affordable advertising than was ever available on TV.  This lower cost of advertising has led to a massive number of brands being showcased online, emphasizing the importance of a company having a clear and concise brand.  The previously singular powerhouses of information have been replaced by social networks and personal interaction.  And as more and more venues for sharing information are created, users spend less time on each different one.  The average internet user spends less than thirty seconds on a page, and rarely reads more than 50% of the language.

To guarantee that they reach their target demographics, advertisers are forced to spread their brand across multiple channels and through as many means as possible.  The intense competition inspired by millions of businesses on the internet and the huge array of competing company logos and trademarks in advertising across the net has made it especially crucial to create a memorable, distinctive mark, and then to protect it!

This explosion of branding in the digital age has raised the value of an established mark.  Brand recognition through a well-targeted campaign can put a small company on par with giant corporations.

At MWR Legal we understand how your brand translates to real revenue in your bank account.  That is why we help you identify and prioritize your company’s most important possible trademarks, and then perform in-depth research so you know whether you can protect them.  We can help you understand and then structure licensing deals with third parties, and we keep you out of harm’s way to make sure your corporate name, product and/or service names, and logo don’t infringe on a mark owned by another company.  We help you capture and protect the value you’re building in your brand.

MWR Legal’s attorneys have successfully obtained many trademark registrations.  We have protected our clients’ intellectual property with creative arguments and effective strategies in industries ranging from real estate to salsa.  Our attorneys can help you secure your mark, enforce it against infringers, litigate to protect it, and strike deals to monetize it. 

Contact MWR Legal at 512.320.0601 or visit www.mwrlegal.com if you feel like your intellectual property could use some protection.

Matt Burr

Intellectual Property Counsel