Are you looking to acquire a US trademark registration? Possibly for a name or logo that will help consumers easily identify and distinguish your products and services from those offered by your competitors? Or maybe you want to apply to register a catchy slogan that could help boost your prominence in a competitive marketplace? If owning a trademark registration issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is your goal, you’ve likely researched your options for obtaining one. And chances are good you’ve come across LegalZoom and wondered whether it provides a worthwhile trademark service.
Well, fortunately for you, there are many people who’ve already used LegalZoom to file a trademark application. So, you can easily search online for LegalZoom trademark reviews and read about their experiences. These LegalZoom trademark reviews allow you to gain insight into how your own LegalZoom experience may turn out before you risk a single dime.
You May Encounter Negative LegalZoom Trademark Reviews Such as These…
“Since registering a Trademark with LegalZoom, I have been getting hit with a $29.99 charge every month on the 13th since 2011. The description for the transactions are “services.” I am a fairly cautious buyer and I KNOW I would not have signed up for something that is indefinitely recurring.”
“LegalZoom was supposed to do a search of all potential conflicts for a trademarked business name. They failed to find a name that was exactly our company name, Ulysses. They let us submit our trademark name Ulysses Imports which cost us $275. We paid LegalZoom $477 for this service and they did not deliver anything. We wasted 5 months!”
“I’m going to keep this short. This company has wasted enough of my time. This company DOES NOT respect or value their customers! The deal is this. They took my money for a “Rush” package. Rush time on their site is 7-10 days. Took them 15 days to deliver the services I bought, and I had to call twice a day the last few days to even make sure they were on top of it all.”
If you read enough negative LegalZoom trademark reviews (and there are plenty to read), you’ll see a common theme emerge. Basically, many people were led astray by LegalZoom’s crafty sales pitch and didn’t receive what they expected from their interactions with LegalZoom. These individuals invested time, money, and effort toward acquiring a valuable trademark registration, yet received nothing but aggravation in return.
My hope is that you don’t become one of those people who are left feeling frustrated and/or blind-sided by LegalZoom. With that in mind, I hope you’ll examine the following summary of what LegalZoom is and what it’s not. I guarantee this insight will save you a lot of headaches and maybe save you from having to write scathing LegalZoom trademark reviews of your own.
“What LegalZoom IS” vs. “What LegalZoom IS NOT”
LegalZoom IS a do-it-yourself legal document preparation service. In fact, this is all LegalZoom claims to be. LegalZoom merely provides you with an online questionnaire that mimics the official USPTO trademark application form (which, by the way, is freely available to you on the USPTO website). You complete the LegalZoom questionnaire and submit your answers to LegalZoom along with your credit card payment. LegalZoom then essentially transcribes all of your responses onto the official trademark application form and submits it through the USPTO electronic filing system.
Sadly, if you type inaccurate or incomplete information into LegalZoom’s questionnaire, then LegalZoom will enter this same inaccurate or incomplete information onto the USPTO application form. Despite what you may think, there’s no attorney at LegalZoom who reviews your information for accuracy before it’s submitted. Any mistakes you make are on you…and remember, by this point you have already paid LegalZoom a few hundred dollars.
And this brings us to another very important fact: LegalZoom IS NOT a law firm. As such, LegalZoom cannot give you any legal advice, suggestions, strategies, or guidance. In fact, if you know where to look, you’ll see that LegalZoom’s own website states this basic truth. So, despite all the clever marketing claims that imply otherwise (e.g. LegalZoom was “founded by attorneys”), LegalZoom would actually be breaking the law if it provided you with legal assistance. The bottom line is that LegalZoom is nothing more than a document preparation service. It’s not a provider of legal services.
Furthermore, because LegalZoom isn’t a law firm, it cannot represent you should your trademark application be rejected by the USPTO or challenged by another party during the 30-day trademark opposition period. Also, LegalZoom cannot provide legal representation in the event you’re ever sued for trademark infringement, need to pursue a lawsuit against someone who’s infringing upon your trademark, or if a trademark cancellation is filed against your trademark registration. If you hit a snag with LegalZoom, you’re on your own to resolve it.
There is a Far Better Choice than LegalZoom…
Fortunately, you have a much better option than LegalZoom, and that option is working with an experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable trademark attorney who will conduct a trademark search and prepare your trademark application for a reasonable flat-fee. You’ll get the true legal help you need, tailored to your unique situation, along with the advice, guidance, and confidentiality that comes with the attorney-client relationship. And, there will be no need to spend time posting negative LegalZoom trademark reviews of your own.
I’m US trademark attorney Morris Turek. I’ve performed hundreds of trademark searches and prepared over 4,000 trademark applications for clients located across the United States and throughout the world. Believe me, the US trademark application process is never as simple as just filling in the blanks on a form. You have to understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. You have to do everything right, in the right sequence and at the right time, in order to properly apply for, and be granted, a trademark registration. Despite what you may have heard or read, there’s no shortcut or one-size-fits-all approach to the trademark registration process.
Unlike LegalZoom, I’m dedicated to learning about your unique needs while helping you avoid costly mistakes. I encourage you to give me a call at (314) 749-4059 to discuss any trademark-related questions you may have. You can also email me anytime at morris@yourtrademarkattorney.com or simply submit the brief contact form found on every page of my website. I look forward to hearing from you.
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