What is the difference between a registered and unregistered trademark?
An unregistered trademark is a trademark that gains its value by being first to be used in the United States. If you’re first to be using a trademark you get your common law rights, but they’re limited to the door at the first day. A registered mark covers all 50 states, territories, and possessions of the United States. It has much greater reach and a much longer form of formal protection. It lasts essentially forever.
