One of the biggest aspects of a company’s branding is its logo. It’s what your clients recognize you by, and it becomes an indelible image of your reputation. The last thing you would want is for an imposter to begin using a variation of your unique symbol—this is your intellectual property, and it is not to be tampered with!
You’ve gone to great lengths to create an appealing and visually pleasing logo. The time, effort and capital you’ve committed to the process cannot be wasted. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to ensure that no one will use your logo. Read the following guide for how you can easily copyright a logo.
Step 1 – Visit Copyright.gov
Everything starts out her at the US Copyright Office’s website. What once was a tedious process that involved mailing paper documents back and forth can now be done in a paperless manner. Navigate to the section that is specific to applying for copyrighting logos.
Step 2 – Complete the CO form to the best of your ability.
You will be prompted to fill out all manner of information about your logo, so it is important to be as thorough as possible. The more thorough you are, the more likely your request for copyright approval is to be accepted.
Step 3 – Attach the document that contains your logo.
This is the most important step! This provides visible documentation of all visual aspects of your logo, which by its nature is the most distinguishable aspect of your logo.
Make sure the image quality of your logo is high enough so that all distinguishing facets of it can be observed. If, for instance, there is particular wording in the logo that seems to be pixellated by your image, a higher resolution is probably necessary.
Step 4 – Pay $35 for certification
This is a small sum to pay for absolute protection of your logo. All major credit and debit cards are accepted.
Step 5 – Wait.
Unfortunately, the approval time for logo copyright requests is typically several months long. To prepare, you should print your confirmation of application so that if there are any issues along the way, you will have tangible documentation that you’ve taken the necessary steps to achieve copyright certification of your logo.
Further, if you run into any copyright infringement of your logo before your copyright is approved, this will be at least a semblance of protection against would-be perpetrators.
Keep in mind that it may be worth also obtaining trademark certifications for your logo to further protect your competition from utilizing your original design in any way.
Follow these steps to ensure that your company will steer clear of all imposters when it comes to display and use of your logo. Aside from the services or products provided, a logo is the first thing that resonates with a client. Make sure that those positive associations stay with you, and not someone who is trying to illegally take credit!