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trademarking a business name?
This may be a long shot, but does anybody have information on how to trademark a potential business name?
I want to see what the process is. I have a name in mind for a potential business I might want to start down the road (after school and everything is done). But, is it possible to "reserve" the name now? Can I pay to own the name now, so that when I can start the business, I already have the name? Or do I have to have a business plan and everything first? I wouldn't want to start planning advertising or other business-y things until I knew what name I'd be able to use. I'm still in the very beginning, "thinking about it, and trying not to get ahead of myself with plans" stage.
Any help, advice, or a point in the right direction would be really appreciated. I've been googling, but I'm not exactly sure what I should be looking for. I figure, if I can ask people who have done it before, I can at least narrow my search a bit. Thank you so much!
Re: trademarking a business name?
In order to obtain a trademark registration, you need to submit a sample demonstrating how the mark is being used, so you would not be able to obtain a registration if the mark is not yet being used. If you plan on filing for a federal trademark, you can file the application as intent to use, but must submit a sample before a registration would be issued. You're allowed up to 5, 6 month extensions of time to file the samples showing how the mark would be used. If you go the federal trademark route, you would probably need a lawyer to help you out with that process.
In California, you can also register business names, which I don't know a whole lot about.
For trademark info in CA:
http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/ts/
For Federal trademark info:
http://www.uspto.gov/