7 Things An Online Business Can Trademark Right Now

Let's talk about the things an online business can trademark.

"Trademark" isn't really a verb, but we're going to go with it because people use it a lot.

A lot of times people think that trademark just applies to a brand name or a logo. But there's more to trademark than just those things, and that's what I'm going to go through in this post.

So here we go: seven things that an online business can trademark.

1. Obviously, an online business can trademark a brand name.

So first brand name. This one is obvious, maybe it's the first thing that you think of when you think of trademark. But your brand name -- so your blog name, if you're a blogger; your podcast name, if you're a podcaster; maybe your personal name if you are a lifestyle personality, or if your name is your brand name -- those things are all trade markable.

2. Logos, logos, logos.

Your logo, of course is another type of trademark. Nike swoosh is an obvious example. It is a symbol that signifies your brand. It's different from just a graphic design that you use it in an artistic way. It's different from an infographic -- that's too much information for a trademark. It is a symbol that your brand uses to represent your brand.

3. Product names.

I'm not talking about something like "red pen." I'm talking more about something like JANE DOE'S SPARKLICIOUS RED PEN. You know, if you have a product name "the sparklicious something," something more than just "red pen," yes, that's probably a trademark.

This can also include a course name trademark! Or a membership name! Those are your products, too.

4. Your flagship service.

If you have a package or a service that is your flagship service, and you offer that service under a particular name, then that name might be a trademark.

5. Slogans and catchphrases.

These are sometimes a little bit difficult to protect because they can be really descriptive. But if you use a slogan or catchphrase a lot in your branding, then yeah, that might be a trademark.

6. Your username or handle.

Wait, whaaaat?

Yep, your username -- like on Instagram -- might be protectable trademark. A lot of times, people on Instagram or Tiktok or wherever are using those accounts to provide promotional services for other businesses. That is a service that you are offering under that handle. And yes, the Trademark Office sees a difference between your name with spaces and your name without spaces. So yeah, your Instagram username, your TikTok username, might be a trademark.

7. Moving pictures, as something an online business can trademark?

We're seeing video more and more and more, not just with the popularity of TikTok but on websites, too. Maybe you've got a really cool video of your logo coming together on your website. That moving picture might be a trademark. Think of things like 20th Century Fox spotlights -- those things that you typically see in movies, those are moving, but they are certainly trademark.

Maybe you have a motion picture trademark in your video show! So add a TM to that if you have a moving trademark in your branding. (Can't use an ® unless you're registered.)

Hope that helps you understand some of the many different things that an online business can trademark!