The company itself · A term for founders abroad
What is a trademark?
A registered right to a name or logo for particular goods or services, granted in the US by the USPTO; separate from forming a company.
Checked against the IRS's instructions and the states' own rules. Reviewed by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer.
Term 97 of 105 in the glossary, filed under T.USPTO: why hire a private trademark attorney
Trademark, for a founder abroad.
Forming an LLC puts the company name on one state's register and nothing more. A federal trademark from the United States Patent and Trademark Office protects a brand across the US for the goods or services it's registered for, and it's what Amazon Brand Registry and most platforms rely on.
A US LLC can own one. An applicant based abroad, which a company run from abroad is, has to file through a US-licensed attorney. The USPTO charges $350 a class, and registration often takes a year or more.
Sources: USPTO: why hire a private trademark attorney; USPTO: summary of the 2025 trademark fee changes.
Read next · guide · 3 minA US trademark for a foreign-owned company: protection, cost, and the attorney ruleWhat founders ask next.
- Does forming an LLC give me a trademark?
- No. It puts the name on one state's register. A trademark is a federal right for particular goods and services, registered separately.
- Can a foreign-owned company file a US trademark itself?
- Not if it's based abroad. The USPTO requires those applicants to use a US-licensed attorney. The trademark guide covers the fees.
03 · See also
- The company itselfDBAA trade name a company uses instead of its legal name, registered with the state or county; not a separate company.Read the term
- The company itselfLLCA US company whose owners aren't personally liable for its debts, and whose profit is taxed once, to the owners, unless it elects otherwise.Read the term
- The company itselfC-CorporationA US corporation taxed on its own profit, which issues stock and is what US investors' paperwork assumes; usually formed in Delaware.Read the term
- The company itselfS-CorporationA tax election that lets a US corporation or LLC pass its profit through to its owners; not available if any owner is a non-resident alien.Read the term
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