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

You can trademark a logo, but there is no single worldwide registration. Protection is territorial. You file nationally, or use WIPO's Madrid System to request protection in several member countries at once, and each office applies its own law. Here is what examiners look for, how to file in the US and through Madrid, what it costs, and the mistakes we see most.

What makes a logo registrable?

A registrable logo is distinctive for the goods or services you list, and not confusingly similar to an earlier mark. Examiners also look for prohibited matter, deceptiveness, and designs that are too generic or purely informational.

Two quick filters we use at intake:

• Is the logo mostly a common shape or ornamentation that many sellers need to use? If so, it may be too weak to protect.
• Would a typical buyer think your logo comes from, or is connected to, the owner of an earlier mark on similar goods? If so, expect a refusal for likelihood of confusion.

If your logo contains words, the examiner may require a disclaimer for descriptive or generic wording, so that your rights sit in the design rather than in the descriptive language.

What do US examiners require?

For a US application you must provide an acceptable drawing of the mark and, if you file based on current use in commerce, a specimen showing the logo as used for the goods or services you listed. You can also file on a bona fide intent to use and provide proof of use later, before registration issues.

The practical choices:

• Drawing format. File a high-quality image of the exact logo. Submit a black-and-white drawing if you are not claiming color as a feature of the mark. If color is a feature, claim it and describe the colors.
• Filing basis. Use in commerce if you are already selling, intent-to-use if you have not launched. An intent-to-use application needs later proof of use before the USPTO will register it.
• Specimens. For goods, acceptable specimens include labels, tags, packaging, or point-of-sale displays where the logo works as a source indicator. For services, use website pages, ads or brochures showing the logo alongside the services. Our specimen guide shows what passes and what gets refused.
• Goods and services. Describe what you sell in clear, definite terms that match the Nice Classification. Overbroad or vague identifications cause refusals and delay.

A common founder mistake is uploading a mockup that does not reflect actual use, for example a Photoshopped bottle label that has never been printed. The USPTO will refuse that specimen.

Is there a global trademark for logos? How does Madrid work?

There is no global registration. Protection is territorial. The Madrid System gives you a centralized way to request protection in several member jurisdictions through one international application, but each designated office examines under its own law and can refuse.

In plain terms:

• A connection to a member. You need a link to a Madrid member: nationality, domicile, or a real and effective industrial or commercial establishment there.
• A basic mark at your office of origin. Your international application has to be based on a national or regional application or registration, and you file it through that office. WIPO examines formalities only. Each designated office then carries out substantive examination and may refuse.
• Duration and renewal. An international registration runs for 10 years and can be renewed for further 10-year periods.

Practical tips we give brand owners:

• File the word mark and the logo where budget allows. The word mark usually gives broader coverage, and the logo protects your visual identity.
• If you expect to refresh your colors, consider filing a black-and-white logo in the US and in other jurisdictions that treat an unclaimed-color filing as covering all colors. This is jurisdiction specific, so confirm the rule in each country before you file.
• Plan for provisional refusals. A designated office can refuse on local conflicts or on absolute grounds, and you handle those country by country. Our Madrid Protocol service manages the designations and the refusals as they come in.

What does it cost to trademark a logo?

In the United States the government fee is $350 per class for the base electronic application. If you file on intent to use, add $150 per class for the Statement of Use, and $125 per class for each extension of time you need before you file it.

Through the Madrid System, the fee is built differently: a basic fee, plus individual fees set by each country or region you designate, plus amounts for extra classes. Because each member sets its own figure, the total depends entirely on where you designate, so we quote it per rollout rather than as a list price. Our pricing page shows the flat professional fee for the US filing, and our US service covers the work from draft to registration with a GTC US-licensed attorney as counsel of record.

Two more lines to budget:

• Local counsel and translations. Even filing through Madrid, you may need a local agent and translations to answer a refusal.
• Clearance. If your brand is still testing logo options across packaging, spend on the search first and hold the multi-country filings until the design settles. That saves far more than it costs. A free trademark check is the place to start.

Common mistakes with logo filings

These are the preventable ones we fix regularly:

• Claiming color you do not need. Lock your mark to specific colors and you may have to refile when the palette changes. If color is not intrinsic to the distinctiveness, consider a black-and-white drawing with no color claim.
• Misusing symbols. Use TM or SM before registration to signal a claim of rights. Use the registration symbol only after registration, and only in a country where the mark is registered. Marking rules vary.
• Weak design. Basic shapes, common icons and decorative flourishes often fail, or give you thin rights. Add distinctive elements, or pair the design with a protectable word mark.
• Bad specimens. Mockups, printer's proofs and decorative use on apparel hangtags often fail. Submit real marketplace use that shows the logo working as a source indicator.
• Poor identifications. Copy-pasted marketing language like "solutions" or "platform" without specifics leads to refusals. Describe the goods and services in ordinary, definite terms.
• Skipping the search. A knockout check on the official databases, plus similar-logo searching, catches most conflicts. Start with Trademark Searches: Beyond Google.

A real-world failure mode: a founder files a color-locked logo, then a designer modernizes the palette before launch. The brand ships, the specimen no longer matches the drawing, the application stalls, and the company pays extra fees to fix it. A little planning avoids the whole detour.

Should you file the word mark, the logo, or both?

If the budget allows, file both. The word mark generally gives broader protection against similar names in any stylization, while the logo covers the look. If you have to pick one, think about how customers recognize you today. If most discovery happens on visual platforms, the logo may pull more weight. On marketplaces and in search, the word usually carries the day.

For more on examination risk, see Likelihood of Confusion: The #1 Reason Trademarks Get Refused, and for the evidence the USPTO accepts, Trademark Specimens: What the USPTO Accepts and Rejects.

Related reading:

• Statement of Use (SOU): What It Is, When to File, and How to Avoid Abandonment
• How to Trademark a Name: The 2026 Step-by-Step Guide

Sources

• USPTO: Apply for a trademark
• WIPO: Madrid System