Your name is worth
protecting — trademark it.
You spent years building a name people trust. A federal trademark makes it yours across the country. Toughjobs screens your name, gets your logo and proof of use ready, and then either walks you through filing it yourself or hands everything to a licensed trademark attorney.
Can Toughjobs trademark my business name?
We get you ready to file — then you file it yourself, or a licensed trademark attorney files it for you.
Federal law only lets two kinds of people file a trademark application for a business: the owner, or a licensed attorney. Toughjobs isn't a law firm, so we don't file on your behalf the way we do with LLCs. What we do is the legwork around it: checking your name isn't already taken, building a clean logo file, and gathering proof that you actually use the name in business.
From there you pick your path. Filing yourself is the cheapest route. An attorney costs more but takes on the legal questions and the back-and-forth with the trademark office.
What you get with Toughjobs
- A screening check on your name before you invest in it
- A clean, file-ready version of your logo
- Specimens: real photos and screenshots of your mark in use
- A self-filing kit, or a hand-off package for an attorney
- Reminders for your renewal deadlines down the road
Priced by the hour it takes.
Trademark work varies with how many names, logos, and services you need covered, so these are estimates based on typical hours. We'll quote you a firm number after a short call, before any work starts.
Step 1 · 2–4 hours
Name Screening
Before you print it on a truck
- Federal trademark records searchIncluded
- Illinois & Iowa business name recordsIncluded
- Web, domain & social handle checkIncluded
Step 2 · 2–4 hours
Brand & Specimen Package
If you already have a logo
- Black-and-white logo file to USPTO specsIncluded
- Specimen photos & screenshotsIncluded
- First-use dates & records organizedIncluded
- New logo designBranding
Step 3 · 1–2 hours
Filing Path
Self-filing kit or attorney hand-off
- USPTO base fee, per class$350
- Attorney fee (if you choose one)~$500–$1,500+
A typical small business with one name and one logo runs about 5–10 hours of Toughjobs work, roughly $375–$750, plus the government fee. Estimates assume about $75 per hour. More names, more logos, or more classes of service add time.
Government fees are paid straight to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), not to Toughjobs. As of 2025 the base application fee is $350 per class, with extra surcharges if the application is incomplete or uses custom wording. If you file before you've started using the name, there's a later fee to prove use. Fees change, so check the current amounts on uspto.gov before filing.
You file it, or an attorney does.
Either way, Toughjobs does the prep work first so you're not paying attorney rates for logo files and screenshots.
Lowest cost
File it yourself
You create a USPTO account and submit the application in your own name. We hand you a kit with everything we built and a checklist of what the application asks for.
- Your screening results, logo file, and specimens, ready to upload
- A checklist of the information the form asks for
- Links to the USPTO's free help: the Trademark Assistance Center and the ID Manual of accepted wording
- Total cost: our prep plus the USPTO fee
You choose your classes and the wording for your goods and services. We can't make those legal choices for you.
Most protection
An attorney files it
We introduce you to a licensed trademark attorney and send them your package. The attorney gives the legal advice, picks the classes, writes the description, files, and answers any objections from the USPTO.
- Best if your name is close to someone else's
- Best if you work in several kinds of services
- Best if you got a refusal or an objection
- Total cost: our prep plus the USPTO fee plus the attorney's fee
Your agreement is with the attorney. Toughjobs doesn't take a cut of their fee.
Where our help stops.
We're upfront about this. Our part is brand and paperwork prep, not legal advice. These items are on you or a licensed attorney.
Filing on your behalf
Only you or a licensed attorney can submit and sign your trademark application.
Legal opinions
Our screening is a business check, not a legal clearance opinion on whether your mark can be registered.
Classes & descriptions
Choosing your classes and writing your goods and services description is a legal decision for you or an attorney.
Responding to the USPTO
Office actions, refusals, and oppositions are handled by you or your attorney.
Guarantee of registration
The USPTO decides. No one can promise your mark will be approved.
Government fees
USPTO and state fees are paid to the government and passed straight through. We don't mark them up.
Four steps to a protected name.
Here's what happens, start to finish.
Tell us your name & logo
What you go by, what you do, and where. A short call or form.
We screen the name
We look for anyone already using something close, and tell you what we found.
We build your package
Clean logo file, specimens, and first-use records, all in one folder.
You or your attorney files
Use the self-filing kit, or we send the package to a licensed attorney.
Days to prep. Months to register.
Our part takes about a week or two. The government's part takes much longer, and that wait is the same no matter who files.
Federal (USPTO)
The typical timeline
- Toughjobs prep: 5–10 working hours, usually done within 1–2 weeks
- First USPTO review: often around 6–8 months after filing
- Published for opposition: 30 days for others to object
- Registration: roughly 12–18 months from filing if there are no problems
To keep it, you file a maintenance declaration between years 5 and 6, then renew every 10 years. We'll remind you before each deadline.
State registration
Illinois & Iowa only
If you'll only ever work in Illinois or Iowa, a state trademark registration is a cheaper, faster option. It only protects you inside that state.
- Small state fee (Illinois: $10 per class)
- Typically weeks, not months
- The owner files with the Secretary of State
Planning to grow, or selling online across state lines? Federal is usually worth the extra cost.
Which route fits you?
An honest comparison of the three ways to get a federal trademark.
| Fully DIY | Attorney only | Toughjobs prep | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost (1 class) | $350 USPTO fee | $850–$2,000+ | ~$725–$1,100 self-filed |
| Name screening | On you | Yes | Yes |
| Logo file & specimens | On you | Usually on you | We build them |
| Legal advice | None | Yes | Through an attorney |
| Who files | You | Attorney | You or an attorney |
If your name is common in your trade, you work in many kinds of services, or someone has already objected, go straight to an attorney. Our prep still saves you their billable hours.
The important fine print.
DISCLAIMER Brand preparation only, not legal services
Toughjobs is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and does not represent anyone before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Our service is brand, design, and records preparation only.
Our name screening is a business-level check of public records and the web. It is not a legal clearance search or an opinion about whether a mark can be registered or used without infringing anyone's rights.
Trademark applications must be filed and signed by the owner or by a licensed attorney. If you file yourself, you're responsible for the accuracy of your application, including your classes, goods and services description, and dates of use. If you hire an attorney, your relationship is with that attorney.
For legal advice about trademarks, consult a licensed attorney. Government fees are set by the USPTO and state offices and may change at any time. Toughjobs prices are estimates until confirmed in writing before work begins.
Put your name on lock.
Tell us your business name and we'll start with a screening, so you know where you stand before you spend a dollar on filing.