This is my first time creating a logo for a non-profit organization (for single adult Christian women) that is currently under development by my group leader. There's only a small group of us women right now. I thought about this after our recent meeting, but I'm clueless about how to go about trademarking or copyrighting after creating a logo for the group. Do a lot businesses or organizations do this to legally protect their logos? How do you trademark or copyright a "logo" for a small non-profit organization? Please advice. Thanks.

All Answers To Questions

By registering a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark office.

What you need is a copyright, not a trademark. Under US law all "creative works" - which would include a logo - are automatically copyright as soon as they are "committed to a durable medium" - written down, printed, saved to your hard drive, etc. No further steps are legally required. You "can" register your copyright with the US Copyright Office, for which there is a fee, but it's not legally necessary, and for the logo for a small non-profit it's a waste of the fee. Richard

You can register it legally at http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp for the best protection. However, if budget is tight for the group, there is some legal protection provided by simply placing the "TM" next to the logo. This establishes that it's being used as a trademark, and others are not allowed to. However, registering it provides proof that they are using it first, and makes defense of the trademark easier. If you do register it, use the circled-R indicator with it (in the artwork you give them). This is a legal notification that the trademark/servicemark is registered.

The artwork of a logo is automatically protected by copyright. In order to trademark the logo, you must show that you've used it to identify a product or service that you provide to customers. Once you've established this, you can request that the trademark be registered. You don't need to register a trademark in order to claim it as a trademark, but it helps if you ever get involved in litigation over use of the trademark. You must actively defend a trademark (registered or not) in order for it to retain trademark protection. The copyright on the logo is automatic. You can make it easier to sue anyone who steals the logo by registering the copyright. Applying for a registered trademark usually requires the intervention of a lawyer. You can register copyrights yourself. You can put TM or SM next to your trademark as soon as you start using it; later, if you register it, you'll put ® instead. You can put © on your logo immediately, whether it's registered or not.