Federal trademark filing · Church name + logo · $1,800 flat · 12-18 month USPTO timeline
Federal trademark filing for your church's name and logo
Your church's name is your most valuable IP asset.
Full federal USPTO trademark filing for your church name + primary logo. Search, application, response to office actions, registration. $1,800 flat fee. 12-18 month timeline.
Why most churches don't have a federal trademark
Because nobody told them they should. Most pastors think trademarks are for businesses. They're not — trademarks protect any source identifier used in commerce. Your church name and logo qualify, and protecting them prevents three problems:
- 1Another church (or business) using your name. A new church plant 200 miles away starts using a name nearly identical to yours. Confusion in your community. Reputational risk if their actions reflect on you. With a federal trademark, you have the legal basis to ask them to stop.
- 2Domain disputes. Someone registers your church's name as a .com or .org. Without a trademark, you have no UDRP or ICANN remedy. With a trademark, you can recover the domain.
- 3Merchandise and licensing. If your church name appears on coffee mugs, t-shirts, books, or curriculum, a trademark is what enables you to license usage and what stops others from making knockoffs.
What's included in the engagement
- ✓Comprehensive trademark search. USPTO database, state trademark registries, common-law search, domain search, social-media handle search. Identifies any conflicting marks before we file.
- ✓Registrability opinion letter. 4-page memo on whether your mark is likely to be approved, what risks exist, and what modifications (if any) we'd recommend before filing.
- ✓Federal trademark application (USPTO). Two applications: one for your church name (word mark), one for your primary logo (design mark). Filed in International Class 045 (religious services) plus optional Class 041 (educational services) if applicable.
- ✓Office action responses. The USPTO almost always issues at least one office action requesting clarifications. We respond within the 3-month deadline at no additional charge. Up to 3 office actions are included.
- ✓Statement of use filing. If you filed on intent-to-use basis, we file the statement of use within the 6-month deadline at no additional charge.
- ✓Final registration. Once approved, we receive the registration certificate and forward it to you.
- ✓5-year and 10-year renewal alerts. The dates that catch most churches off-guard. We track them and send reminders so your registration doesn't lapse.
The math
A typical IP attorney quotes $3,500-5,500 for the same scope. The flat-fee model works for me because I file ~30 church trademarks a year and have a streamlined workflow. It works for you because you know the cost upfront.
What clients have said
“We discovered a church 80 miles away with a name nearly identical to ours. Once our trademark issued, we sent a polite letter and they renamed within 90 days. Without the registration, we'd have had no leverage.”
Senior Pastor · 600 attendance · North Carolina“The trademark gave us the legal basis to recover a domain a former member had registered using our church name. The UDRP filing took 60 days. The trademark was the cornerstone of the case.”
Executive Pastor · 1,200 attendance · TexasCLS flat fee vs. hourly outside counsel
How to start
Trademark engagements begin with a 20-minute scoping call at no charge. We confirm the search is feasible, agree on the marks to file, and you receive a written engagement letter with the $1,800 flat fee schedule. Filing typically begins within 14 days of the engagement letter signing.
Church Law & Strategy · Regan VanSteenis, Esq. · Licensed Texas + Virginia
P.S. Your organization's name, logo, and brand are assets โ but only if they're protected. This is the work that makes the difference between owning your identity and defending it in court.
โ Regan