In addition to likelihood of confusion (discussed above), an examining attorney will refuse registration if the mark is:
- Merely descriptive or deceptively misdescriptive of the goods/services
- Primarily geographically descriptive or primarily geographically deceptively; misdescriptive of the goods/services
- Mostly a surname
- Ornamental
Once your trademark application passes the examining attorney's review, your mark will be published in the Official Gazette. This gives the public an opportunity to object to the mark if they believe they will be damaged by that registration. If no objections are filed within 30 days of publication, the mark will typically be registered in 3-6 months. At that point, you are an official holder of a federally registered U.S. trademark.