I OWN the term “SKETCHBOSS”…well,
sorta. Here’s what I mean.
As you pursue your art
business, be sure to secure some type of intellectual property for it.
I always preach that
artists should deviate from a typical path.
The beauty in deviating will open up opportunities and ideas you can
capitalize.
For me that meant really
talking a look at how I could make my art studio more than just a simple place
where people can buy. I wanted it to be
a conglomerate where artists could benefit as well.
Now you can strictly
leave it at your store name if you’re not ready to branch off into other things
just yet. I suggest, securing
intellectual property for something that you’re certain about pursuing and
pushing no matter what happens.
For me that was the term
– SKETCHBOSS™
I’m in the process now
of finalizing what will be, SketchBoss™ Academy.
You see that “tm” after SketchBoss don’t ya?
Yea? Here’s why I can do
that.
Basically I filed a
trademark application with the federal government for the term. After consulting with an attorney, paying the
filing fee, and him doing a little research on the backend to see if the term
could be trademarked, he informed that I was good to go. Meaning, I could own this term and in the
interim of waiting for the process to be complete, i.e. registration. I could use the ™ symbol.
When the process is
complete, I would then be able to officially switch to the ® “Registered”
symbol and own the term outright.
Now, when I say “Own”, I strictly
mean for the purposes where I expressed ownership or the intent to use the
term.
For me that meant via my
Academy and accompanying educational products, i.e. dvds, digital lessons,
books, art supplies, etc.
Here are the steps you
can take to the do the same.
Find a Trademark
Attorney or just an attorney who specializes in business matters.
Because it is a federal lituation, the
attorney does not have to be in your state to complete this task. At least this
is what was explained to me. My cousin, who happens
to be an attorney, initiated the paper process and he’s based in Chicago, me,
Texas. I asked him this question to be
sure.
Be Ready for a Consult and Spill it All
After I expressed my
interest to file, we had a consult where we exchanged questions about the service/
trademark I wanted to register.
This consult was free
for me and I will note that my cousin made it a point to mention that he wouldn’t
charge me for it, so if I were you, I’d expect to reserve some funds just in
case you are required to pay for this part.
My main question was verifying that I would
own this word for the purposes purported.
Pay the Fee to Initiate the Paperwork Process
All in all it cost me
$1275.00 for this service. This is
expensive ass hell, yes, I know. And to
be frank, I DIDN’T have the money to do it.
But I insisted on paying
and luckily my cousin was open to the idea of splitting the cost into payments or
installments. Be sure to find you an
attorney who is open to this if you’re cash strapped.
My embarrassing
story? I forgot the date of the last
autodraft and was broke as hell until I could get some more money in my
account. I was pissed initially but
resolved my emotions to the fact that at least I had it done.
Clarify Your Intent for the Trademark
After the first
installment, I was officially made a client and was assigned access to a portal
which held my file.
I was instructed to sign
on and complete paperwork that asked me personal details, requested a copy of
the logo or term including font type and how the trademark would be used.
After submitting, that
was it!
There’s nothing left to
do but wait.
I was informed that my
application had been submitted after verification that the term wasn’t already
in use and that now the longer wait would being.
So when all is said and
done, I should expect to have it officially registered by Fall 2021.
Got questions?
I ran through this
process really fast…you can always shoot me a DM or email me at thebossyartist.com@gmail.com for
more info.
Here was my resource: Saglawpc.com
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