This is an in-detailed LegalZoom Trademark review that covers the pros and cons of this service.
If you are considering using the LegalZoom Trademark service but you are doubting if it’s worth it or not, then read this review to the end.
In this post, I will cover:
- What is LegalZoom Trademark Service
- How does it work
- LegalZoom Trademark cost
- The Pros & Cons
Let’s dive in!
What is LegalZoom Trademark Service? Is It Legit?
What LegalZoom does is help you prepare legal documents. They prepare a range of legal documents for which you would need to hire a legal practitioner — including trademark application documents.
You can think of them as a template bank for legal documents, except that they attach more features to their service.
Now, if you want to know if their trademark service is legit, the answer is yes. But on the other hand, you will need to consider what I am about to say next.
It’s known that LegalZoom will help you reduce paperwork and better your time management. They provide you with an online questionnaire form that mirrors the official United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) trademark application form.
The mirrored official USPTO trademark application form they provided will be used to collect the required information for your trademark application. Alongside a small payment, they will prepare your application and submit it through the USPTO electronic filing system.
But on the flip side, LegalZoom is not a legal firm even though they have “legal” attached to their name. This means that it’s not guaranteed that they will offer you any legal advice, guidance, suggestions, or strategies regarding your trademark application.
For this reason, LegalZoom will not represent you if you ever get sued for trademark infringement. Also, they will not help you pursue a lawsuit against anyone infringing upon your trademark. And again, if a trademark cancellation is filed against your trademark registration, it is likely that they won’t show up for you.
How Does LegalZoom Trademark Work?
Just like many other trademark firms, LegalZoom uses the same approach in registering your trademark. Their processes are broken down into 3 simple steps.
Step 1: Introduce your Trademark
Introducing your trademark is the first step of the process. Before moving forward with the registration, you need to tell LegalZoom about your trademark. This could include your slogan, color, logo, or sound you have chosen or forged yourself.
Introducing your trademark starts with the first “hello!” to a representative. Don’t know where to start? LegalZoom puts up its phone number on its page and urges people to call them.
You could call to discuss the trademark over the phone or set up a physical meeting with one of their representatives.
Step 2: Research and Reporting
After introducing your trademark, the next step in the process is to sit back and watch LegalZoom do its thing. At this stage, they will perform a comprehensive trademark search to find anything similar to yours.
If they find one, that’s a red flag indicating that you can’t proceed with the Mark registration. This is because it can cause confusion and you can be sued for infringement.
Regardless of the outcome of the comprehensive trademark search, they will report back to you with their results.
Step 3: Filing and Paperwork
If you have reviewed the report and given a go-ahead signal, the next stage will be the filing and paperwork. They will prepare your application and submit it through the USPTO electronic filing system.
In about 3 – 6 months, you will get a decision from the USPTO if your trademark application was accepted or rejected.
Read Also: Review of Trademark Plus
How Much Does LegalZoom Trademark Cost?
LegalZoom’s trademark registration service cost $599. Unlike some trademark firms, they offer only one pricing package for their trademark registration service. Purchasing this service will open you up to the process of registering a trademark.
The trademark registration cost doesn’t include federal fees that are charged upon filing, you will have to pay does fees separately.
Purchasing LegalZoom’s trademark service automatically sets you up with an attorney. Your attorney will help deal with minor roadblocks that may limit your trademark from being registered.
Aside from getting help from an attorney, you would also be considered for a free trademark search if the first one had an issue. And if your first trademark application gets rejected, you can always apply for the second time for free.
LegalZoom Trademark Pros & Cons
Pros:
- One-time fee
- An additional search for free
- Easy filling process
- An attorney is involved
Cons:
- Additional help incurs extra payment
- No legal protection
- It gets expensive over time
LegalZoom Trademark Reviews from Previous Clients
If you’re wondering what people who have used the LegalZoom trademark service have to say, here are a few:
A LegalZoom Trademark review by Jon:
A LegalZoom Trademark review by Fritz:
A LegalZoom Trademark review by Fritz:
From the reviews of customers who have used LegalZoom’s Trademark service, it’s clear that it isn’t all positive. And if you are wondering why it’s because LegalZoom is not a law firm.
They will only find you an attorney after you pay for their services and this way it becomes a 3-way communication.
Plus since those attorneys are not specifically working for LegalZoom, they have their daily businesses to focus on so much that they don’t devote their time to your need.
Why I Don’t Recommend LegalZoom Trademark Service?
For some people, LegalZoom offers great trademark services while for others like myself, they don’t. Before you think I’m a party pooper, check out the reasons why I won’t recommend LegalZoom trademark services.
1. No Legal Protection
Of course, LegalZoom partners with attorneys to help you prepare and file your trademark application. But on the other hand, they do not own any legal team that will give you legal protection if you ever get sued for trademark infringement.
Also, they will not help you pursue a lawsuit against someone who is infringing upon your trademark.
It is important to keep in mind that they are NOT a legal firm and they do not have any legal team. Instead, they partner with attorneys who render services like a third party. Services that only include helping you research, review, and prepare your trademark application.
So, if you ever face problems that would require an attorney to defend you, there is a high chance that you are on your own. All you have to do is hire an attorney who will offer you full service in that regard.
This is a big deal-breaker in my book because you are likely going to need the support of an attorney at some point.
2. Office Action Not Included
It’s likely to receive a response from the USPTO requesting additional information or pointing out a problem in your trademark application. Unfortunately, LegalZoom’s trademark registration service does not include responding to office actions.
This means that if you ever get stuck because the USPTO is asking you for additional information or to fix something in your application, LegalZoom will not cover you with its trademark package.
However, they do have an Office Action Response package that cost from $200 to $800. This makes their trademark services to become more expenses because the chances of needing to respond to an office action are high.
USPTO, in most cases, usually needs more information about a brand before trademarking it. In this scenario, you will end up purchasing one of the LegalZoom Office Action Response packages or hiring an attorney.
However, other trademark firms have this covered in their trademark services without charging additional fees.
2. LegalZoom Doesn’t Tell You If Your Mark Is Ineligible
Another major reason why I wouldn’t recommend LegalZoom is that they won’t tell you if your mark is ineligible. The USPTO will not register your trademark if:
- It has names belonging to a chemical element or other exclusive names.
- It has a name, phrase, sound, or color that has already been trademarked.
- It has a generic name e.g Wine for a wine company or Pear for a fruit company.
- It has words that merely describe the business
- It causes confusion, deceives the public, hurts religious beliefs, or goes against the morality of communities.
Even with a trademark name like Cakes for a cake brand, LegalZoom is eager to take your money to start the trademark application process. Meanwhile, we all know that a trademark such as Cakes for a cake brand will likely get rejected by the USPTO.
On the other hand, a trademark attorney would have pointed out that your mark would be rejected. That initial information would save you money from performing a search. This, LegalZoom cannot offer.
However, one of LegalZoom’s perks is offering a second chance to process another trademark after an initial rejection. But what are the odds you won’t get rejected again since their trademark search does not cover multiple conditions?
3. No Trademark Search Opinions
When doing a trademark search, you are likely to get over a hundred pages of hits. Those hits or raw data that you get in return show you similar marks that are in existence. A lot of times, people don’t know what to do with the tons of search returns they get from trademark searches and would like an opinion from a professional.
Unfortunately, LegalZoom does not offer any legal opinion. This means that you will likely be getting your trademark search report as it is.
Without an opinion from a professional, you would be staring at a bunch of data like a 6-year-old trying to read a chemistry textbook.
Going through a trademark search report which spans over a hundred pages is time-consuming and stressful. Duh, isn’t it supposed to be included in the payment plan?
Without an opinion from a trademark attorney, you might end up making the wrong decision since you weren’t cut out for the job in the first place.
Remember, LegalZoom only partners with an attorney to push your trademark registration. Any additional help you need will require you to buy a different service or hire an attorney. I would have loved it if their trademark service covers every help you will need before and after registering your mark without paying any extra fee.
Luckily, there’s a trademark firm that offers all these in their package for a one-time fee.
Best LegalZoom Trademark Alternative: Trademark Factory
I think it’s pretty clear that if you are serious with your business, you need more than what LegalZoom trademark services have to offer. And if you need a better alternative that’s solid in areas LegalZoom is lacking, I highly recommend Trademark Factory.
Trademark Factory’s mission is to help growth-minded entrepreneurs build amazing brands. Thing is, you can’t build an amazing brand unless you OWN the brand you’re building. And the only way to own your brand is to trademark it.
And if you are wondering why Trademark Factory is worth checking out, here are a few reasons:
1. All-Inclusive Service
There is a quote from Charles Manson that says, “If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy.” And I strongly believe Trademark Factory follows this wholeheartedly.
Trademark Factory’s legal team and advisors take care of all your trademark processes. Their experienced attorneys and trademark agents won’t let you break a sweat or worry about anything. You will only be contacted when necessary for some required information or document.
After sharing the necessary information with the team, they go on to draft and file your application. All necessary legal requirements will be met for your trademark to be registered.
To me, this is what makes them unique. Once you choose to work with them, it’s a 100% done-for-you service. Just sit back and watch your brand get trademarked without paying any additional fee.
To be clear, you will get all the services with LegalZoom trademark service on Trademark Factory but with only a one-time fee. No recurring payment!
2. One Flat Fee
One thing that makes Trademark Factory stand out is their one flat fee. Other trademark firms will likely charge you per hour and demand another payment if an objection is raised against your application or further actions need to be taken by them.
But with Trademark Factory, you only need to make a one-time payment, which covers the cost of the Trademarking process from start to finish. Even if your brand trademarking process requires a full legal team, you won’t be charged an hourly rate.
Trademark Factory does not incur hidden costs or other demands for payment. No matter how many objections are raised against your application, additional payment will not be incurred.
For the records, and depending on the plan you paid for, your one-time fee should include a comprehensive trademark search, application filing, response to all office actions, etc.
Most of the services you will get with one payment on Trademark Factory are charged individually or hourly by other trademark firms.
3. Guaranteed Results
Trademark Factory has a 99.3% success rate. This means that there is a high chance that your brand will be trademarked. But if things should swing sideways, they follow a 100% money-back guarantee policy.
So, if you don’t get what you paid Trademark Factory for, you will get a full refund even after the rigorous process the legal team has gone through.
The refund could come in two ways. You can get a full refund before filing. This means if Trademark Factory identifies any problem with trademarking your brand after you already paid, you will get a 100% refund Or they keep searching until they help you find a brand you can own.
They also offer a full refund after filing. So after their comprehensive search, if they find your brand suitable for trademarking and they filed it but get disapproved by the Trademarks office, you get your full refund, regardless of how many office actions they have responded to.
And because they have been in operation for over 9 years, and filled 2885 trademarks with over 99 success rates, you can be rest assured they will deliver on their promises.
4. Large Team
Another reason to trust Trademark Factory is the fact that they have a huge team. They are currently over 30 team members working in this firm, with each proving their expertise in different areas.
This means you will get the right specialist to work on different aspects of your brand trademarking process. This is why Trademark Factory can handle all the activities themselves; because they have a complete team.
5. Free Call with a Specialist
Finally, unlike many trademark firms that are only after your money, Trademark Factory will require to know more about your business before they decide you are a great fit for them.
You will first need to request a free call with one of their advisors (click here to request the call), who will try to understand your business goal and then recommend the best package for you. This free consultation will also shed more light on certain things you don’t know about your business model.
This is completely risk-free, so I see no reason why you won’t request a free call now. (click here to request the call now) or read an in-depth Trademark Factory Review here to know how they work.
Read: The Trademark Company Review
Conclusion
I believe this LegalZoom trademark review has cleared your doubt about this trademark service. By now, you already know why you shouldn’t use it.
Since your trademark is a very crucial part of your business, you need to do it perfectly or run into some serious issues in the future.
This is why I recommend Trademark Factory over LegalZoom trademark service since the former not only help you register your trademark, they also provide you with a full legal team that defends your trademark when the need arises.
Want to get started with Trademark Factory? (click here to request a call with one of their advisors)
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