Just Me asked:


I applied for a trademark through my state for home decor. I make candles and want to label them with a local saying adopted by our baseball team. I do the candle in the team colors and want to name the candle with the saying. I don’t want people to knock off my idea of doing the candle this way which is why I want the trademark. I was awarded the trademark by the state using this saying with a team symbol for candles only. I was told the team owns the trademark for sports related items, clothing, stickers, etc.. They also have a service mark. I am not selling my candles as a product of the team, it is more a signature item of mine that is not offered everywhere. The state assures me that I am protected by state law to use it on candles. There is no federal trademark of the team with this logo. It is state only. Can using this cause me problems? If so, would I get sued first, or ask to turn the rights over to them?
I didn’t realize if I should have gotten an attorney involved first. I put my trust in the state with Generic pills whithout prescription the $75 check I sent them. I have been worried about this all weekend. Should I terminate this trademark and forgo my plans of making candles like this? This started when a friend said he’d be worried. Like I said, the man in the state office I spoke to said they would not be able to let me use it if it could cause problems and I am within my rights to use it. I may be making something out of nothing since I am a worrier.

Patentest asked:


The only time outsourcing of patent search is not the right way to go is if the volume of search you perform exceeds hundreds of searches a month in which case there might be justification to becoming experts in this field to Generic pharmacy reduce the cost of this activity.

Is that your core business?

We have seen this fundamental question shape the world we live in, as time progresses more specialties are emerging and being the expert in what you do becomes more and more important to survive and succeed in your business.

Lawyers focus their entire practice on very specific fields of law; enterprises outsource many functions which they don’t consider core business.

Traditionally companies expanded by growing their offerings and increasing their market coverage. Today we see a reduction in offerings and a clear focus on very specific things in which this company is better then its competition.

When it comes to offering additional products to its customers more and more companies select the option of partnering with other leading companies in the relevant field of expertise rather then investing the money and time, and more importantly loose the focus, by becoming experts themselves.

Should patent search be outsourced or not?

Lets review the benefits.

Accountability – The company performing the search has accountability for it

Employment – Less employees are required, the money is paid to a vendor and not employees

Cost - Between direct employment costs, management costs and idle times, companies end up paying more for patent searches performed in-house

Time to market – No need to become experts in performing the search activities



The only time outsourcing of patent search is not the right way to go is if the volume of search you perform exceeds hundreds of searches a month in which case there might be justification to becoming experts in this field to reduce the cost of this activity.

However, having said that, even in the above specific scenario, special deals can be made with dedicated professional companies engaged primarily in that to keep cost low and still enjoy all the benefits mentioned above.