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Arizona's Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC): Trademarks

The State of Arizona Research Library is Arizona's designated Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC). We invite you to explore the research supports available to you as you pursue intellectual property protection.

State, Federal, and International Trademark Registration

The Office of the Secretary of State files the registration of trade names and trademarks in the State of Arizona. The registration of trade names and trademarks is not legally required in our state, but is an accepted business practice.

It is important to note that trade names/trademarks are not officially registered at submission, rather after the application is reviewed and/or the proper filing fees are processed. The proposed name is reviewed for potential conflicts with existing registered trade names, trademarks and business entity names at the Arizona Corporation Commission. Upon approval of your registration, you will receive your “Certificate of Registration” by email. Arizona does not review the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database and registration of your name by this office does not mean the name is not in conflict with a prior federal trademark registration.

Visit the Arizona Secretary of State's website for more information about registering a trademark in Arizona.

 

It is your choice whether to file for federal trademark registration. The benefits include:

  • Trademark is listed in the USPTO's database of registered and pending trademarks. This provides public notice to anyone searching for similar trademarks. They will see your trademark, the goods and services on your registration, the date you applied for trademark registration, and the date your trademark registered.
  • Legal presumption that you own the trademark and have the right to use it. So, in federal court, your registration certificate proves ownership, eliminating the need for copious amounts of evidence.
  • Can use your registration as a basis for filing for trademark protection in foreign countries.
  • Right to bring a lawsuit concerning the trademark in federal court.
  • May use the federal trademark registration symbol, ®, with your trademark to show that you are registered with us. This may help deter others from using your trademark or one too similar to yours.
  • Record your registration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). They can stop the importation of goods with an infringing trademark.

The Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, or Madrid Protocol, entered into force in the United States in November 2003. Trademark owners can use the Madrid Protocol to protect their trademarks in foreign countries. The global reach of the Protocol continually expands and, as of March 2021, there are 108 members covering 124 countries. The International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) administers the Madrid Protocol.

You can learn more about the Madrid Protocol on the USPTO website and on the World Intellectual Property Organization website.

View all participating countries, as of Dec. 27 2021, here.