How To Register Music Artist Name

Making certain your make/artist name is trademarked is an important pace in establishing yourself every bit an artist or label in the public eye. Sure, technically you can do shows and release music under a proper noun y'all oasis't technically secured, just that doesn't mean it's a skilful idea.

(Just to reiterate, it is definitely NOT a expert idea…)

How to Trademark Your Brand/Artist Name

The last thing you want is to find a name you admittedly love, play tons of shows, build a huge following and realize two years afterwards that someone in the Britain has the same name and is legally forcing you to give it up. Not only would you lot have to outset over when it comes to edifice your following all over once more, just you'd lose coin having to redo albums, merch and everything with that name on it. Even more than, whoever wins the trademark war can force the other to shut down websites, social media profiles and anything else you used that name for.

All this sucks, but it's easily avoidable.

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Learn more:

Legal Contracts for Artists and Bands

Starting a Band is Starting a Business

Forming Your Artist Development Team: The Entertainment Attorney

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How to check if your name is available

The starting time and easiest way to start this is literally to Google it. Expect upwards the proper name you desire to use and run across if annihilation comes up. If nada does, the odds are in your favor! Withal, we highly recommend you don't finish there. Even if a Google search shows that there'south supposedly nobody else out at that place using that name, you're not fully in the clear merely yet.

The next pace is to use the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Function) website to search for registered trademarks or cases where a trademark application is pending. Exist certain to search for like names and common misspellings. To exercise this,

Visit the USPTO homepage.
From there, click on "Trademarks"
Click on the commencement link nether that called, "Searching Trademarks"

Once you've been every bit thorough as you can and you're still non seeing any competition for your band name, it's fourth dimension to file the paperwork to register your trademark.

How to practice it

To trademark your creative person name online, y'all'll utilise the same site.

This time, go to the menu and click on the "Trademarks" tab.
And so, select "Filing Online".
To offset a new filing, click on "Initial Awarding Grade"

While yous're filling out the forms, yous'll need this information:

Ownership Data // Who is going to own the trademark?
Testify of use // If you're already using your mark (and not but planning to use information technology), y'all'll demand evidence that shows your employ.
Correspondence information // This identifies who the Examining Attorney tin can speak to if there's an issue with your application.

Every bit you go through the application, make sure you read everything very carefully. The awarding is robust, and if you accept likewise long to figure things out y'all could run out of time.

Make sure you're prepared and ready to go before you begin.

If you feel uneasy about handling all this, it'southward totally fine to get a lawyer to fill out these forms for yous to ensure perfect accuracy. However, if you know how it all works, you are perfectly capable of treatment this yourself! Trademarking your artist name is 1 of the almost important things to take care of as a professional musician. Skipping this pace could stop upward causing you a lot of trouble and heartbreak down the road. Just with these steps, you have everything y'all demand to avert that.

Good luck!