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Don Bushell, Attorney at Law.
Thanks for visiting my website. I would like to be your trusted business advisor in the Kent, Covington, and Auburn areas of South King County, Seattle area, Washington state. Here are the areas of law I can help you with.
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Business Formation
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Software Licensing
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Contract Drafting
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Breach of Contract lawsuits
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Trademarks and Copyrights
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Music publishing
Where to research the various types of intellectual property:
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Trademarks: Brands for goods and services www.uspto.gov
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Patents protect inventions www.uspto.gov
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Copyright protects original artistic works www.copyright.gov
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Domains (no protection as to brand) www.internic.net
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Business name (no protection as to brand) sos.wa.gov
Federal trademark registration benefits include.
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Legal ownership presumed
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Exclusive rights presumed
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Puts public on notice of ownership
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Listed in USPTO's database
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Record trademark with US CBP Customs and Border Protection
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Legal right to bring action in fed court
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Use registration as foreigh filing
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Able to use federal registration symbol
Challenges
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Not every mark registers due to lack of compliance with laws and rules
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Registered marks can be challenged by other parties
Challenges and Common pitfalls
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Likelihood of confusion between your mark and another mark because mark is similar, look alike, sound alike, similar meaning, goods or services alike or related
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Example might be X-SEED, agricultural seed, and EXCEED, Live plants. They sound the same. Refused.
A trademark clearance search needs to be performed.
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TESS - Trademark Electronis Search System
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State trademark databases
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Business name databases
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Web search (Similar marks, similar goods and services)
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Hire a trademark attorney to do the search and evaluate the search results
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TMIS Trademark information system is used for this purpose.
Licensed to practice law in Washington under license #54098.
View Washington License
Licensed to practice law in California under license #303103.
View California License
Accredited Attorney with the Veterans Administration under license #43231
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