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What Does it Take to Start Your Own Nonprofit If you’re thinking about starting your own 501c3 nonprofit, there are several things that youshould consider before deciding to move forward – but they may not be what you think they are.Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of advising clients throughout the United States aboutmaking…

How to Apply for a Federal Trademark Now that we understand the benefits of having a federal trademark to protect and own your nonprofit’s name, let’s walk through the specific steps that you will need to take in order to register your nonprofit’s name as a federal trademark. My firm has handled this process for…

Common Law Trademark Rights Believe it or not, you do not have to actually apply for a federal trademark to begin building legal rights in the name or logo of your nonprofit. Generally, the person that uses the name first “in commerce” has the right to the name as long as no one else used…

Benefits of a Federal Trademark On the other hand, there are a number of benefits to having a federal trademark to own the name of your nonprofit. Some of the benefits include:  1. Ownership. The first benefit of having a federal trademark is the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you have legal…

Do you Need A Trademark If You Have Incorporated Your Nonprofit?  Some people think that just because they incorporated or formed their nonprofit with their State that they do not need to apply for a federal trademark to own the name. Please know that registering your nonprofit with your state by filing Articles of Incorporation…

How to Protect Your Nonprofit’s Name from  Counterfeits and Identity Thefts I still remember the awful feeling I had when I first became aware that someone was using my nonprofit’s name without our permission. I remember thinking “What type of person would do this to a nonprofit that is helping students?” I was devastated and…

What is a Name Search? Now that you feel you have chosen a good name, here is how you check to verify if it is available. The only way to know if someone already has the rights to the name that you want to use is to conduct a professional name search. This involves looking…

6 Things to Consider When Choosing a Name Now that you know the legal standard that will be considered if a court ever has to decide if your mark is too similar to someone else’s, you can keep them in mind as you are narrowing down your choices. Here are just a few more factors…

How to Know if You Have a Name You Can Legally Protect? Now that we know what our goal should be when it comes to choosing a name for our nonprofit, let’s talk about the guidelines that we should take into consideration when choosing a name: You cannot trademark a generic term or something that…

Why Do You Need a Name You Can Legally Protect? Now that you understand how names are protected using trademarks, we need to discuss why it is important for you to choose a name for your nonprofit that you can legally protect. The reason it is important is that you will be investing hundreds and…

How to Avoid a Lawsuit When Choosing a Name For your Nonprofit The name “Revolution Leadership” came to me at the same time that I was inspired to start the nonprofit. I was fortunate that the name was available despite the fact that I did not know the principles in this chapter. As a practicing…

Many business owners take pride in serving their community. But what if you want to turn your small, for-profit business into a nonprofit? Read Chisholm Law Firm’s blog to learn more about converting a for-profit business into a nonprofit.  What’s the difference between a for-profit and a nonprofit? It may seem like a simple difference,…