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 clients throughout the country with a 100% success rate since 2010 (Past results do not determine future outcomes).

Here are the steps:

1. Visit www.USPTO.gov
2. Complete the federal trademark application
3. 3. Upload a specimen (sample) of your mark
4. Pay the filing fee (from $225 to $375 depending on which application you choose)
5. Respond timely to the inquiries (called Office Actions) from the USPTO examining attorney with the correct legal responses until they make a final decision regarding your application.

Although the steps appear to be straightforward, the federal trademark process is a very serious undertaking. Generally, only around 41% of applications are approved (Source: the United States Patent & Trademark Office website).