How to Trademark a Logo: Requirements, Costs, and Common Mistakes

How to Trademark a Logo in 2026

A logo can become one of your brand's most recognizable assets — think of the Nike swoosh, the Apple silhouette, or the McDonald's golden arches. Trademarking your logo protects it from unauthorized use and gives you legal tools to enforce your rights.

But logo trademarks have requirements that differ from standard word marks. This guide covers everything you need to know about trademarking a logo with the USPTO.

Logo Trademarks vs. Word Marks: What's the Difference?

The USPTO categorizes trademarks by how the mark is presented:

Standard Character Mark (Word Mark)

Protects the text itself, regardless of font, size, color, or design. If you trademark "ACME" as a standard character mark, you have rights to that word in any visual presentation.

Design Mark (Logo)

Protects a specific visual design — including the arrangement of elements, stylization, and potentially color. If you trademark your logo, the protection covers that exact design.

Combination Mark

Protects both the design and the text together as a single unit. Many businesses file combination marks to protect their logo-plus-name pairing.

Strategic tip: Many trademark professionals recommend filing both a standard character mark for your name and a separate design mark for your logo. This provides the broadest protection. The word mark protects the name in any style, while the design mark protects the specific visual.

Requirements for Trademarking a Logo

1. Distinctiveness

Your logo must be distinctive — capable of identifying the source of goods or services. The distinctiveness spectrum for logos:

2. Clear, High-Quality Image

The USPTO requires a clear reproduction of your logo. For design marks, submit:

• A JPG image file in the correct dimensions
• Black-and-white version (unless you're claiming specific colors)
• Minimum resolution for legibility at small sizes

3. Description of the Mark

You must provide a written description of every element in your logo. For example: *"The mark consists of a stylized letter 'G' formed by two concentric circles with a horizontal bar, rendered in teal and dark navy."*

4. Design Search Codes

The USPTO assigns design search codes to categorize the visual elements in logos. These help examiners search for potentially conflicting marks. Categories include geometric shapes, animals, plants, celestial bodies, and more.

Color Claims: Should You Claim Color?

This is one of the most important decisions when filing a logo trademark:

Filing in Black and White (No Color Claim)

• Protects the design in any color combination
• Provides broader protection
• Recommended for most applicants

Filing with a Color Claim

• Protects the design in the specific colors shown
• Limits protection to that color scheme
• Required only if color is an essential element of your brand identity

Best practice: File in black and white unless color is integral to your brand recognition (e.g., Tiffany blue, UPS brown). Filing without a color claim gives you flexibility to update your color palette without affecting your trademark protection.

Specimen Requirements for Logo Trademarks

A specimen shows your logo as actually used in commerce with your goods or services. The USPTO has specific requirements:

Acceptable Specimens for Goods (Products)

• Product packaging showing the logo
• Labels or tags attached to products
• Product displays at point of sale
• Website screenshots showing the logo in connection with product sales

Acceptable Specimens for Services

• Advertising showing the logo in connection with the service
• Website pages displaying the logo alongside service descriptions
• Business signage
• Brochures or marketing materials

Common Specimen Rejections

❌ Mock-ups or digitally created images — The specimen must show actual use, not a photoshopped concept

❌ Business cards alone — A business card typically doesn't show the logo in connection with specific goods/services

❌ Social media profile pictures — Unless they clearly show the logo used in connection with the advertised services

❌ The logo on a blank background — Must show the mark used in the context of commerce

For detailed guidance with visual examples, see our Specimen Guide.

Cost of Trademarking a Logo

The cost is the same whether you're filing a word mark or a design mark. However, logo trademarks may require additional design preparation if your image doesn't meet USPTO specifications.

If you're filing both a word mark and a design mark (recommended for maximum protection), that's two separate applications — $600 × 2 = $1,200 for single-class coverage.

Common Mistakes When Trademarking a Logo

1. Filing the Wrong Mark Type

Filing your logo as a standard character mark (or vice versa) provides the wrong type of protection. Make sure you understand the distinction before filing.

2. Low-Resolution Images

The USPTO may issue an Office Action if your logo image is blurry, pixelated, or otherwise unclear. Submit a clean, high-resolution file.

3. Omitting Design Elements from the Description

Every visual element must be described. If your logo includes a stylized font, an icon, and a border, all three must be mentioned in your mark description.

4. Claiming Color Unnecessarily

Claiming specific colors limits your protection. Unless color is truly essential to your brand, file in black and white.

5. Not Searching for Similar Designs

Word searches don't catch visual similarities. The USPTO examiner uses design search codes to find logos that look similar to yours, even if they use different text. A comprehensive search should include a design element review.

The Logo Trademark Process: Timeline

Total typical timeline: 8–14 months from filing to registration.