Registering a trademark name?

[toon_mad]

Does anyone have any knowledge in this area? In my free time I write personal software projects in Delphi and Lazarus (Object Pascal), these past few months I have developed quite an impressive library and suite of custom controls.

Anyway I have plans for either towards the end of the year, or next year to setup my own website where I can start putting some of my projects on.

My question is, say I named my website and custom controls etc something like MySoftwareXYZ (obviously not the real name), what measures do I need to take to prevent someone coming along and taking the name I have been using?

I had a quick look earlier this morning at registering company names, trademark names etc and not sure if I am looking in the right place for the right thing to be honest, not to mention some of the fees I saw floating around could easily be £500 and over.

So simply put, what is the cheapest method and what do I need to do to register a name that I will be using for my website and developed projects? You know in programs, the Help > About box you often find Copyright and All Registered Trademarks disclaimers etc. Obviously just putting it in there means nothing as someone could steal the name I have in mind.

I just need to register a name I have in mind that nobody else can take, I guess also things like Logos etc apply aswell thanks.

 

[Russinating]

For a start, everything is Copyrighted by default. Nobody can come along and use your logo and you don't need to do anything to protect that.

Then how realistic is it that someone will copy your name, given it's personal projects and purely web based?

 

[toon_mad]

For a start, everything is Copyrighted by default. Nobody can come along and use your logo and you don't need to do anything to protect that.

Then how realistic is it that someone will copy your name, given it's personal projects and purely web based?

Thanks for your response.

But, suppose you design your own logo and have a fancy name for what you are doing, should someone else come along and take that name and logo how can you prove you originally came up with it?

Is this really a non issue, I should just go along with what I am doing and not worry about anyone taking my ideas etc?

 

[gregorius]

The government's intellectual property advice is pretty thorough...

https://www.gov.uk/topic/intellectual-property/trade-marks

 

[Amp34]

You show the court the original vector file, or when you uploaded it. There would be loads of options.

 

[Russinating]

Thanks for your response.

But, suppose you design your own logo and have a fancy name for what you are doing, should someone else come along and take that name and logo how can you prove you originally came up with it?

Is this really a non issue, I should just go along with what I am doing and not worry about anyone taking my ideas etc?

For anything web based (or not these days!) a domain plays a large part in protecting a name non-officially. It's proof of date of conception for a start and will put people off because they'll have to use a less than perfect derivative or variation. There's also been cases of holding onto domains even if the name gets trademarked by someone else at a later date (though I think having differing businesses comes into this).

As adove logos will come down to providing raw/vector design files.

It depends on what you're looking to do but I really wouldn't worry too much until you're getting significant public interest and success or think that's a likelihood.

 

[Dj_Jestar]

https://www.gov.uk/register-a-trademark

 

[toon_mad]

Great thanks for the advice guys