Beginners Guide to Setting Up Your Entertainment Business
The most exciting yet intimidating part of creating an entertainment business is over–you’ve come up with a name and a rough idea, and you’re ready to start. If you are in the entertainment industry or looking to enter the space, it is vital to get the intellectual property protection you need early on.
You can trademark everything from your record label to a film studio to a magic act. Critical assets such as your brand or entertainment business should be guarded no matter the price, especially if you hope to grow and scale your business. The same applies to your area of entertainment expertise.
So what now?
Why Trademark Your Entertainment Business?
Let’s get one thing straight: trademarking is an essential asset in the music space. Even before you are deemed successful or have become commercially successful, you should decide who owns the rights to the name and logo and register them as trademarks for any relevant goods and services and any countries you think you may perform or sell tickets in.
At the very least, you should protect the name and logo of your entertainment business. Whether a one-person magician or a full-blown circus, everything you create, share, perform, and write off as part of your unique entertainment offerings becomes intellectual property. You wouldn’t want someone using your name to tour the globe, would you? Having the same name, logo, or design mark can confuse fans and keep you from sticking out from the crowd.
It is important to note that word marks can serve as the name of your entertainment business but can also take the form of personal names. Design marks–generally stylized words, letters, and design elements–are another personalized identifier that separates you from the rest of the talent, perhaps even your competition. It would be off-putting to see a random band using the Rolling Stones’ signature tongue logo or the Wutang’s “W” logo on their posters, flyers, and merch. This is precisely what you’ll do avoid when you trademark your distinct entertainment identity.
While names and logos for your entertainment business are incredibly crucial to trademark right away, there are many other not-so-subtle things you’ll want to consider trademarking that might not be the top of mind when you’re first solidifying your business model. So what else can and should be trademarked?
Determining What Your Trademarks Are
If you are an entertainment business, you’ll likely be selling more than just your music or entertainment services. Circumstances will depend on what exactly you are offering to your clients and/or fans, but here are a few of the most common trademark categories related to the entertainment industry that you should consider claiming when you trademark your business.
● Class 9 – Downloadable music
● Class 16 – Posters, books, stickers, and other printed products
● Class 18 – Bags and leather products
● Class 25 – Clothing and apparel
● Class 26 – Accessories for clothing
● Class 35 – Retail of music and merchandise
● Class 41 – Entertainment, live concerts, events, publishing, providing non-downloadable digital music on the internet. This one is the most critical of all.
● Class 45 – Personal and social services in any field rendered by others to meet the needs of individuals
As you can see, there is more to trademarking than meets the eye regarding entertainment business ventures. These are just a few of the most common categories those in entertainment tend to claim, but we encourage you to research to ensure that other potential assets don’t fall through the cracks. Remember that all words, logos, marks, etc., must be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
How to Set Up Your Entertainment Group
Before trademarking, however, there are a few bases to be covered. Below, we’ve drafted a high-level overview of what steps you’ll need to take to create and secure your entertainment business, so it can flourish in all the ways you’ve hoped and dreamed.
- Come up with a game plan and realistic business model. Whether you have a name for your business in mind already, the success of a business relies heavily on the foundation. Ask yourself what you want to achieve in creating this business, what you plan to offer and what services you wish to provide, where you see yourself down the line, what your values are, and so on and so forth. Get clear on your value proposition and how you plan to operate, make money, and get the ball rolling. This business model can always change, but having something in place from the start of operating your business will save you from stress later on down the line.
- Bind your entertainment business into a legal entity. This includes trademarking your entertainment business assets. Scope the details below on how to go about trademarking.
How to Trademark Your Entertainment Business
- Ensure your artist or band name is available via the Trademark search engine
- Come up with a description that accurately represents your entertainment business and overall brand
- Identify all classes that apply to your specific needs
- Draft trademark application and proofread
- File the application with the USPTO
- Wait anywhere from 2 months to 2 years
- If rejected, resolve problems and resubmit an application
- If it is opposed, you have to fight the trademark office
Once your formal application is accepted as “complete,” there is still more work to be done. You’ll receive a document with fees such as the issue fee and publication fee. You’ll receive proper paperwork via the mail that serves as proof of your trademarks. Furthermore, you’ll have to keep looking for other expenses you’ll receive over the years to come to maintain your brand trademarks.
Why Trademark Factory
If you want to skip all the hassle of going through these tedious steps, filing paperwork, and potentially getting rejected, further extending the process, Trademark Factory is here to help. We help you streamline the process of securing your entertainment business’s valued assets so you can achieve your dreams free of worry. Our comprehensive trademark search is the fastest way for our clients to get to where they need to be, all for one flat fee. There are no hidden charges, no matter how much work we put in to make it all possible.
If your trademark doesn’t get approved in the end, even after several attempts to push it through, we will give you 100% of your money-back guarantee–an offer you won’t find anywhere else.
But wait! There is more to setting up your business.
How to Set Up Your Entertainment Group
Now that you’ve trademarked your business, you can move forth and continue with all the essential aspects of kicking your business into gear.
- Define your brand
- Register your entertainment business for taxes
- If applicable, open up a business bank or credit card.
- Set up accounting
- Get necessary permits and licensing.
- Get entertainment business insurance.
- Lock in a phone number, business address, and website or application to show others what you’re all about and what services you offer
As you can see, a lot goes into securing your entertainment business and ensuring you are off on the right foot. If you’re ready to take the leap and properly trademark the name and logo for your music brand as quickly and painlessly as possible–saving you time to focus on other areas of setting up your entertainment business–book a consultation with one of our experts today. We are so confident that we can deliver and get your trademarks approved that we offer a money-back guarantee in the infrequent event we can’t get you the trademarking services you need.
Why waste more time when you can leave it to the experts?