Your trademark, also known as a service mark, can be registered in three ways:
State Registration: The Idaho Secretary of State registers trademarks in Idaho. Your trademark must be unique and not similar to one already registered. Be aware that registering your trademark only in Idaho does not provide national protection from its use by a business in another state.
National Registration: U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Before registering, you will want to make a search to be certain the word or logo is not already trademarked. National Trademark Search
International Registration: Madrid – The International Trademark System
The trademark symbol ™ can be used on written materials that include your unique name or logo (including your website) to indicate that your business claims an ownership right in the use of the symbol or word. You do not need to register your trademark to use the symbol, though it is a good idea to do so if you want to protect the name or symbol from use by others.
If the trademark is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Registered ® symbol is used. Using the symbol gives public notice that the logo or name is trademarked and cannot be copied without legal consequences.
