Intellectual Property
We've been at this a long time, relatively speaking. WeatherWool was founded in 2009, and we set about protecting that name right away.
At present, the following pieces of Intellectual Property are officially recognized by the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office):
- WeatherWool is a registered trademark in the USA and is (or will soon be) a registered trademark in Great Britain, Japan, Australia and the European Union
- Hardcore Luxury is a registered trademark in the USA
- Best Wool in the Woods is a registered trademark in the USA
- WarriorWool is a registered trademark in the USA
- Lynx Pattern is copyrighted in the USA
Our IP work is handled by Polson Intellectual Property Law.
Because I like stories, and because stories are about all I can remember anymore, here are a couple of IP/USPTO stories ...
When "Average Joe" starts a business, the usual situation is that more money goes out the door than comes in. So, from even before WeatherWool, I have interacted with USPTO directly in an effort to cut costs. Their lawyers have been very helpful and friendly, and they tend to be animals working 60 and even 80 hours a week. I've spoken with two or three of them on Saturday nights. One night I was talking with a trademark lawyer, and he was really going out of his way to deal with me. But finally he said something like: "You really should retain an Intellectual Property Attorney. I promise you, it will be the best money you ever spent." So I took his advice.
But before I had routinely brought all my IP issues to Polson, I had registered WeatherWool on my own. The trademarks don't last indefinitely, tho, and need to be regularly renewed. At one point, the PTO sent me some kind of renewal notice, and I did not handle it properly and in a timely manner. So I was horrified to receive a notice from the PTO telling me that registration of the WeatherWool trademark was ABANDONED. At that point I asked Polson to re-register WeatherWool and to handle all my IP. The advice from the USPTO lawyer was spot-on!
All of the registrations are symbolized by a registration certificate. Here is the CERTIFICATE OF TRADEMARK REGISTRATION, issued by the JAPAN TRADEMARK OFFICE, for the mark WeatherWool.
27 April 2023--- Ralph