While it is always a good deal when you find something that sounds and looks like a good deal, it doesn’t always apply to everything you do in business. A good example of that is trademarking services. These days you can search "trademarking services" and see results that will blow your mind at first—but upon checking the fine print or (god forbid) you get their services, you will realize that it simply isn’t worth it.

Thousands of business owners have experienced this and statistics show that over 81% of initially filed trademarks are rejected so it’s safe to say that when it comes to getting trademarking services, it is of the utmost importance to find the best one.

Some of these said services can even be priced from $500 up to $1000, but know that with all the things that go behind a trademark application, you might just be making the worst decision by using a service that either doesn’t care enough or are just out to earn an extra buck.

In this article, you will learn about some of the things you have to look out for when selecting the trademarking services you want to use in protecting your brand.

  1. The Price Is Too Low

Most services you will find that is $1000 or below are TOO LOW of a price when dealing with trademark registration—or they might only cover the initial filing process without:
  1. Responding to major office actions, they only cover the minor ones (and if you have major office actions, you’d pay by the hour)
  2. No money-back guarantee! You lose your mark and you lose your money

If you encounter a service that does a) then good for you! But if they have no money-back guarantee, then you might just be losing a lot of money in the process because statistically, you are on the losing end as the majority of initially filed trademarks are rejected.

Do you honestly think $1000 will be enough to cover a process that more or less takes a year to complete (and this is the best-case scenario, often it takes longer than that)? Definitely not. If the price is too low, and they can’t even give you your money back in case they don’t deliver their promise, then you will most likely be throwing away money.

  1. Companies That Say They Do "Knock Out Searches"

Knock out searches are synonymous with "useless". These searches do not cover everything you will need to know before filing for your mark. It simply doesn’t give you enough details and mind you, this is a crucial step in the entire trademarking process.

What you have to hunt for is a trademarking service that does a comprehensive search—those "free" search tools you see on their site will not help you. If you find the words "knock out search", "direct hit searches", or "direct conflict searches", you are not getting what you need. If you want a higher chance at getting your trademarks rejected, go ahead and trust these services, but don’t say you weren’t warned.

  1. Quick Filing Services

"Get your trademarks filed in 15 minutes!"—are statements you should look out for and avoid. Yes, trademarks can be filed in the blink of an eye, but if you don’t go through the proper steps before you even start your application, most likely your trademark will be rejected. Who wants that? You definitely want to get it right on the first try.

Look for services that are willing to walk you through the entire process, that will offer to call and talk to you about the steps you’re going to take—because it’s all about protecting your business. You don’t want an automated filing system doing that for you without even doing the proper searches.

These cheap "file-it-quick" services will only file your trademarks, but when you get an office action, you’re on your own. It is best to get a service that can be a bit expensive but will handle all office actions on your behalf, with experienced and licensed lawyers doing their best to secure your trademark.

  1. No Mention of Major Office Actions

Office actions are issued by the Trademarks Office if there is an issue that has to be resolved in regards to your trademark application. Some are minor, but some—like the likelihood of confusion are considered MAJOR office actions.

You will see services that offer to do unlimited minor office action responses but if you need them to respond to major ones, you’d have to pay by the hour. So now you will be at a loss at how much your bill will turn out because you don’t know how long they will take to successfully respond to these office actions. You initially shelled out an affordable amount, but you’d have to pay more—defeating the purpose of choosing their "affordable" rates in the first place.

The solution to this: very simple! Choose a service that has a flat fee that covers unlimited and all office actions. Combine this with a money-back guarantee, and you know that this service means business.

Sometimes, choosing a cheap trademarking service isn’t the best when it comes to protecting a very valuable asset to your business—your brand. Choose wisely, because the key here is to get it right the first time, and to complete the process as soon as possible because trademarks are extremely time-sensitive. You never know when somebody else can file a mark similar to yours, and it is definitely a race you’d want to win.