A Pennsylvania state trademark and a federal one are two different tools. Here is what each protects, what it costs, and which one your business really needs.
Run a free trademark searchPennsylvania spans two major metros and a lot of country in between: Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, manufacturing, healthcare, food, and logistics throughout. Businesses that grow here rarely sell only inside the state, and that matters because a Pennsylvania state trademark protects your name in Pennsylvania and nowhere else. The word covers two separate registrations. A state one goes through the Pennsylvania Department of State; a federal one goes through the USPTO and covers all fifty states.
General information to help you decide, not legal advice. Trademark rights can depend on how and where a mark is used, the goods or services involved, prior users, and other facts. Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, Registration of a Trademark. Secure Mark USA does not file Pennsylvania state applications.
A federal registration through the USPTO Trademark Center (which replaced the older TEAS platform) protects the registered mark across all fifty states, grants the (R) symbol, and creates a public federal record, for $350 per class. On current USPTO data, expect roughly 4.5 months to a first action and about 10 months to registration for a clean application, longer with a refusal, an Office Action, a suspension, or an opposition. Secure Mark USA prepares and files it for you from $99 plus the USPTO fee. Start with a free trademark search or read the complete U.S. registration guide.
Source: USPTO Trademarks Dashboard; USPTO, How much does it cost.
Run a free search. If the name is clear, we file your federal application from $99 plus USPTO fees.
Start my free searchFederal. A Pennsylvania only registration would not reach the customers or competitors in the states you sell into.
$50 per class, one class per application, valid five years, renewable. Federal is $350 per class and lasts ten years per term.
No. Entity formation is separate from trademark rights and will not stop a competitor from using your brand name.
No. They are separate systems with separate records.
Only after the USPTO registers your mark federally, roughly ten months for a straightforward application, sometimes longer.
USPTO: Trademark Basics, How much does it cost, Trademarks Dashboard.
Pennsylvania: Department of State, Registration of a Trademark.
Secure Mark USA: Free trademark search, Complete U.S. registration guide.