Logo Register

[ssingh]

I'm designing a web site for my company. It is a very small company right now. I created a Logo in Paint Brush, but it is pretty attractive.

What I would like to know is do I have to get the Logo registered and a copyright? Any idea how much does it cost.

Also, the company's name is pretty lengthy, if I create
an alias (an abbreviation) do I need to register that too? And how much would it cost and how do I do that.

thanks for your help

[kodaks]

Welcome to Webmaster World, ssingh!
What country is your business based in?

[jusdrum]

If you are American, which I assume because it's mostly us Americans who don't think to mention our country, you are not required to register your logo or get it copyrighted. Registering a logo is only worth it if you are a large company with a lot invested in your brand equity. It's a waste of money for small, and even most large, businesses.

If you lock up your business name, then you protect your logo because no one can use your business name, which means the logo is noo good to them. If you are a sole proprietor, then you would file a DBA (doing business as) with your state. If you are an LLC, corporation, partnership or anyother entity besides a DBA, you've already registered your business name with you entity structure paperwork.

[ssingh]

Well, I'm in US. My company is already registered as a
SCorp. My company name is also pretty long. I thought of an alias later ( a 3 letter word) which my comapny could be known as. Do I have to register it before I use it on my web site? If yes, where do we do that and how much does it cost?
thanks

[Lance]

You own the copyright automatically to any work you create. No registration necessary...

To inforce copyright infringement and recover damages however, then registration is necessary. If you want to enforce copyright but not try to recover damages then just the copyright you own by authoring the work is good enough.

You can check the U.S. Copyright Office [copyright.gov] for more information.

The comment about your logo being protected because your company name is incorporated is only true if your logo contains your company name.

[magic77]

Your corporate name is only protected in the State in which it is registered. Anyone can incorporate exactly the same name in every other State. The only way to protect a corporate name is to register it as a foreign corporation in each and every State in the Country. The paperwork is extensive and the cost ranges from $100. to $200. per State.

A Corporate Logo, on the other hand, can only be protected by registering it with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A process that took me 3 years to accomplish. Although with time and patience, it can be done without the expense of an attorney, which is how I did it.

This same information applies to any abbreviated form of the Sub. S corporate name. By the way, d/b/a or t/a business entities are filed within the county in which you reside, not the State.