Kansas City, MO asked in Copyright, Business Formation, Intellectual Property and Trademark for Kansas

Q: When the business you own is an LLC - is the LLC required on all signage, logo's, etc.

I'm changing the name of my business. I want to know what should be trademarked, included on all advertizing, logo's, and signage. Is it okay for the business to legally have one name, registered with the State of Missouri and still have a logo that identifies the business by another name? What needs to be trademarked -- just the logo? What about a tag line/slogan?

1 Lawyer Answer

A: If you want to conduct business under anything other than the legal name of the business, you will need to register an assumed name, which is different than a trademark. You are not required to trademark any aspect of the business name or branding. Although it can be very beneficial to do so. The decision will come down to how you use the logo and/or slogan, how valuable that branding is to your business, and what other businesses do. I recommend speaking with a trademark attorney in a confidential consultation to determine how to protect your intellectual property.

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