Expert: Shannon Moore - 3/2/2009

Question
I am 16 years old and have come up with a product idea that i would one day like to develope, I have also come up with a name. How am i able to keep the name safe so when i would like to use it on my product in the future no one else could have used it?

Answer
Dear Suzie,

The only way to have exclusive rights to a name within a specific industry is to trademark it but if you're not ready to start making, marketing, selling it, etc., then spending money on a trademark is probably not your best bet.

I can suggest that if you speak to anyone about it, be it a consultant, attorney, etc., you may want to look into a non-disclosure form.

Also, looking into patents may prove to be pretty interesting for you. They are pretty expensive but there may be options you can explore for now. I've written a blog post about this subject. Check it out here: http://tmexpress.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-to-protect-your-great-idea-it-is.html

Hope that helps! Please let me know if there's anything else I can assist you with -- best of luck to you!

Warmest regards,
Shannon Moore
http://www.tmexpress.com