Does your business use a particular word as part of a marketing or branding campaign. If so, you may wonder can you trademark a word. Yes, this happens all the time and there are many common words that businesses have trademarked to help protect their use. If your business is benefiting from an association with a word or phrase, it may be time to get a trademark. If you're not sure about the timing, discuss your situation with an experienced trademark attorney.

Filing for a trademark isn't expensive, but it does take time and effort. You will first have to verify that no one else is using the particular word or phrase. You can do this by searching the U.S. Trade Office database of trademarks. Search for the word and for similar phrases.

Once you verify that the word is not being used by anyone else and isn't trademarked, you can fill out can you trademark a word an application to register the trademark.

Be aware, however, that just because you couldn't find the word in the trademark database, this doesn't mean that another company or individual isn't using the word. The Trade Office will conduct their own research once you file an application to register the word as a trademark. If they also verify that the word is not trademarked, they will most likely approve your application.



It helps if your company is already using the word on regular basis as part of branding or marketing. This also helps protect any other local competition from using the word to make money. If you want to prevent the word from being used commercially nationwide, then you must file to register the word as a trademark.


Once the trademark is approved, no one else may use that particular word to make money. If you still wonder can you trademark a word, consult with a good trademark lawyer.