The business name and logo hold a great deal of importance, as they are an essential part of the identity of your business. A meaningful name or logo adds a good touch to the identity of your business. But how do you know if someone is not going to tweak and make it their own? That it won’t remain uniquely yours? This is where understanding trademark name filing and trademark services become important.
Trademarking your company name provides value to the business. It also covers all your products and services under the trademark. This provides your business with its own brand status.
Check availability
Before you set out for the trademark name filing, do your research. Your research should include data collection to ensure that the availed trademark services do not infringe on someone else’s existing trademarks. Do not go in unprepared to file your documents only to have your application rejected. Plus, keep in mind that if you are planning a bigger, brighter future for your business, you cannot have trademarks similar to others,which can confuse users.
Sooner the better
Registration of a trademark after trademarking your company name is not a compulsion. However, it does allow one the right to sue the infringer under the civil and common law. The registration gives you rights to the name and logo that are solely yours, which makes it an offense if someone else is trying to use it. Hence, it is advisable to have the trademark registered without delay.
Use correct symbols
Before your application was registered, you were probably using the (™) symbol to indicate that you have applied to obtain a unique identity for your business. However, after having successfully trademarked your company name by using the trademark services your (™) symbol is no longer required. After receiving the get-go from the federal registration you will be required to use a different symbol. To indicate that the trademark name filing process has been completed, the symbol “R” is used.
Keep track of your marks
The growth and development of your business are associated with the names and logos that you trademark. It is important to keep track of your usage and your renewal dates, so you don’t lose your rights later on. Additionally, keeping track of the usage helps identify infringers, if any. It will also give you an idea if there are other companies or brands with trademarked symbols similar to yours.
We often stumble across the word “bail” in news or our favorite courtroom dramas. But what does this word actually mean?
In simple terms, bail is an amount that a defendant has to deposit to be released from jail. This money is imposed to ensure that the defendant will return to the court for further proceedings. The bail amount differs across cases and is decided by the judge. The money is returned to the defendant after the case is over.
There are two types of bails, namely, cash and bonds. As the name suggests, cash bails are where one needs to pay the bail amount in cash. At times, these can be comparatively heavy on the wallet than bonds, as they have to be paid entirely in cash. On the other hand, bail bonds or surety bonds are contractual agreements where the bail amount is funded through a third-party or bondsmen as the bail amount charged is expensive, generally, for severe crimes.
How to do bail bonds work?
Like mentioned before, when the bail involves a big figure, defendants can approach a third-party or a bondsman to help them. Such businesses will charge 10% of the bail amount as a fee while they cover the remaining balance amount. The bail bondsmen draft an agreement to make sure that the defendant turns up in the court. In this contract, the bail bondsmen require the defendant to use a collateral in exchange of bail.
Every bail bond agency is different, therefore, what would deem as a collateral will vary accordingly. Typically, an asset of significant value is accepted as a surety. The following are some examples of what can be used as a collateral:
Both, the court and the bail bond agency, establish some conditions for the defendant’s release. The first being that the defendant has to appear in the court for future trials and hearings. Likewise, the defendant isn’t permitted to break any laws before the final verdict. If any of these terms are violated then an arrest warrant will be issued.
The bail bond agency, on the other hand, will ask the defendant to surrender their collateral temporarily. If the defendant doesn’t show up for court proceedings, the agency will have all the rights to track them down. Moreover, if the defendant is nowhere to be found in the next six months, then they will be liable to pay the entire bail amount.
It can be a difficult process for one to get themselves out of custody. The bail system acts as a savior and helps one to get their loved ones out of custody fast. There are a variety of bonds that can secure one’s release from jail. Below are the different types of bail bonds that everyone must know about to help get custody fast.
Cash bond
As the name suggests, cash bonds are cash payments that allow one to get out of jail. In most instances, only cash is accepted by the corrections department. However, in some cases, cashier’s checks or credit cards can also be used to cover cash bails. Most people don’t tend to have large sums of money readily available to give to the correction department as in some cases thousands of dollars in cash are needed to cover bail fast. In such cases, one may have to seek the advice of a bail bondsman for the help they need.
Property bond
Property bonds may not be accepted in all states. However, in states like California, they are used occasionally. Different types of properties can be used, but real estate happens to be the one that is most commonly used. These bonds tend to be quite useful, especially, when one does not have cash available in hand to secure bail. The only drawback of property bond is that it takes time to obtain the same. One can be released from jail within a couple hours with the help of cash bonds. Whereas a property bond is handled directly by the court, there is an assessment of property value that is needed along with court hearing in order to receive the confirmation of the bond agreement. Hence, the whole process takes a span of a few weeks.
Federal bail bond
If one has been jailed under a federal crime, to secure the release, a federal bail bond is needed. Both cash, as well as property, can be used to obtaining federal bonds and they don’t require a bail bondsman. Similar to the property bonds, federal bail bonds are handled by the court directly.