Moneda Moves (135): We're Trademarked! And Why We Did It
Over the weekend we had some exciting news and ICYMI, Moneda Moves is officially trademarked!
Catch us on the USPTO directory, registered for providing service and documenting stories about our Latinx community and money via our pod, writing y más. This process took A YEAR AND A HALF. Working with the US government takes time. If you’re thinking about protecting your intellectual property…this is your sign: Start now.
What we hadn’t explained that we will do here is why we decided to get a trademark — a process that took some guidance and more than a year’s time. Before sharing, I’ll also share that I am by no means an expert on this matter but sharing my experience.
If you’re looking for an expert in the Latinx space, I’d recommend Taylor M. Tieman, Esq who runs Legalmiga and is a small business attorney. When I first started considering a trademark about two years ago, it was her workshop I attended to learn more about the protections a trademark provides.
Now as to the reason why to use a trademark, let’s start from the top — what is a trademark? According to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), this “can be any word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination of these things that identifies your goods or services.” Notably, it’s how your consumers recognize your product and differentiate you from competitors.
After registering your trademark, you become an owner once you use the registered word or phrase with your specific goods or services. Reasons for getting a trademark include:
You clearly delineate the source of your goods or services
You get legal protection for your brand
It helps protect you guard against counterfeiting and fraud
As much as the web has been a wonderful place to grow Moneda Moves and connect with readers from across the country, I’m always a fan of learning more through building and taking necessary measures to protect my brand. This is why I chose to get a trademark. If you’re interested in reading more about this process, here’s a Forbes article that walks through this.
In the words of Cyber Collective Org, let’s stay here for a good time, and a long time, mi gente.
Con poder,
Lyanne
Headlines to put on your radar.
The Need For Venture Capital Funding In U.S. Latino Startups: Riding on the news last week from L’ATTITUDE Ventures’ recent close on $100M to invest in Latinx founders running early-stage startups, Forbes published an article making the case for more venture capital funding to be directed toward this segment of entrepreneurs. For reference, Latino entrepreneurs receive only 2% of U.S. venture capital investments while having been responsible for 50% of net new business growth over the past decade (per Bain data).
New Faces In the Boardroom: When it comes to Latinos in the boardroom, a lot of the national conversation has historically been about the lack of Latinos in the boardroom. Hispanic Executive recently put together a spread which highlights the leaders who are in a position of power and securing some of their first board seats. There’s a diverse set of board members working at companies from Life Time Inc. to Toyota Motors. We love the fresh narrative here.
Thank you for joining us! Until next week, catch us here on Moneda Moves.
Congratulations on the trademark! Great reminder for everyone to protect their brand and business.