Brand Protection Assessment

Question 1 of 9

Trademark foundation

Question 1

Is your business name registered as a federal trademark with the USPTO?

Not state-registered — federal registration at USPTO.gov.

Yes — registered and active

Application filed, pending approval

Not registered, but I use the ™ symbol

No registration and I'm not sure where to start

Logo + visual marks

Question 2

Is your logo registered as a federal trademark?

Logo registration is separate from your name registration.

Yes — registered and active

Application filed, pending

Not registered — same logo for over a year though

No registration and my logo has changed recently

Trade dress + visual identity

Question 3

How consistent is your visual identity across all platforms and touchpoints?

Website, social, physical space, packaging, email — do they all look like the same brand?

Completely consistent — same colors, fonts, and aesthetic everywhere

Mostly consistent with a few gaps

Somewhat consistent — I'm still refining

Inconsistent — looks different depending on where you find me

Documentation + evidence

Question 4

Do you have dated evidence of when you first publicly used your current visual identity?

Early social posts, launch emails, website screenshots with dates, original photo file dates.

Yes — organized and saved, ready to use if needed

Some of it exists but it's not organized

I haven't thought about this before

No — I've changed platforms and don't have the early records

Brand inventory

Question 5

Have you ever documented a complete inventory of your brand's visual elements?

Specific hex codes, font names, distinctive design elements, and what makes your brand recognizable.

Yes — I have a brand guide with all of this

Partially — I know my colors and fonts but haven't formally documented them

Not really — it's more intuitive than documented

No — I wouldn't know where to start

Clearance + competitive awareness

Question 6

Have you run a trademark clearance search before launching a brand name, product, or program?

A real clearance search goes deeper than a Google search or basic USPTO keyword check.

Yes — had a professional clearance search done

I searched USPTO.gov myself before launching

I did a Google search to see if it was taken

I didn't search — I just launched

Monitoring + protection

Question 7

Are you actively monitoring for competitors who may be copying your brand?

Google alerts, social listening, periodic searches for your name and visual style.

Yes — I have a system and check regularly

Occasionally — I check when something feels off

Not really — I rely on my community to flag things

No — I don't have any monitoring in place

Contracts + agreements

Question 8

Do your contracts with collaborators or contractors address IP ownership?

Who owns work created for your brand? Is that clearly documented in writing?

Yes — all contracts include IP assignment or work-for-hire language

Some do, but not all

I use contracts but haven't thought about the IP language

I work without formal contracts or haven't addressed this

Next steps

Question 9

Where are you in thinking about brand protection right now?

This helps tailor your results to where you actually are, not where you think you should be.

Actively working on it — I have an IP attorney or am scheduling one

It's on my list — I know I need to do this

Just starting to understand what protection even means

I've been putting it off — not sure where to start