For startups, perhaps one of the difficult decision is whether or not to file for a trademark. Many of the entrepreneurs may just want to focus on growing their business rather than putting in the effort and money to go through the hassle to file for a trademark. Well, AKeyMark may be an answer to those who want to register their trademark in an easy, fast and cost-effective way.
AKeyMark is a startup in Silicon Beach that assists the startups and small businesses to file for a trademark. Ken Sherman, the founder of AKeyMark, has more than 25 years of practicing Intellectual Property law. He taught Intellectual Property law to the engineering students at the University of Southern California and has experience of starting another startup in addition to AKeyMark, which made him aware of the challenges the entrepreneurs faced to protect their unique ideas and expertise. This lead Sherman to start AKeyMark.
We asked Lindsey Arnold, Director of Marketing at AKeyMark, about how their service works.
First, the customer starts by filling in an online questionnaire about their business at AKeyMark website. AKeyMark’s legal team reviews the information in the questionnaire and gives a feedback to the customer within a 24-hour period of time, then a customer will receive a 15-minute consultation from the trademark attorney. Once everything is set, the application will be submitted to the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). From filling of the online questionnaire to the consultation by the attorney, the process only take about 3 to 5 days on average, which results in a fast trademark application. The price is a flat rate of AKeyMark service fee $299 plus US government’s filing fee ($275 per each class of goods and services).
Once the application is submitted to USPTO, the registration process could take 6 to 8 months to be completed. AKeyMark will keep updating the application status on their website, so the customer can follow the progress.
For those who wish to file for a trademark abroad, AKeyMark provides the same service by connecting the customer with the trademark attorneys abroad. The price is a flat rate of AKeyMark service fee $299 plus the overseas government filing fee, which varies depending on the country. AKeyMark also assists foreign startups to file for a trademark in US.
Arnold worked as a marketing personnel at a leading post production company that is credited in many of the blockbuster movies, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She is currently promoting AKeyMark across the nation through numerous events and digital marketing, that includes some interesting posts on their Facebook page about trademark. She explains that they’re planning to upgrading their service in the future so that they can assist the companies who already own multiple trademarks.
