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Indie Law, A Trademark Law Firm

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Indie Law, A Trademark Law Firm

Trademarks are our jam. We help cool entrepreneurs like you keep your brand protected.

Simply put, we help entrepreneurs through the trademark application process. Indie Law serves businesses and entrepreneurs all over the world to protect their trademarks.

09/14/2026

The product. The website. The reputation people recognize you by. All the visible parts of what you've built took real work to get right.

Your name deserves that same care. It just happens somewhere a little less visible.

09/11/2026

Outkast just settled a trademark dispute over the name ATLiens. And there's a bigger lesson here for anyone choosing a business name.

Back in 1996, Outkast released their album ATLiens. Years later, an Atlanta-based EDM duo began using the same name. The duo registered ATLiens as a federal trademark in 2020, and Outkast's company sued in 2024.

The case settled this February. The terms were kept private.

But here's the part business owners should really pay attention to. A federal trademark registration doesn't automatically mean nobody else can have rights in the name.

Trademark rights can also come from actual use. If someone was already using a name in commerce before a later registration, that earlier use can matter.

That's why a trademark search shouldn't stop at asking whether a name is available to register. You also want to know who is already using it, what they're using it for, and how long they've been using it.

A name that looks available in the trademark database might not tell you the whole story.

Curious how "first use" can affect trademark rights? Drop your question below.

09/10/2026

A client called me once while she was on vacation, completely panicked. She'd just gotten a cease and desist letter over her brand name and was already mentally preparing for a full rebrand.

We got on a call together and read through the letter line by line. Turned out the claims against her didn't actually hold up. She kept her name, kept her brand, and got back to her vacation.

That call is basically why I do this work.

I didn't get into trademark law because I love a fight. I'm the peacemaker in a family of seven kids, not the arguer. I got into this because founders don't need someone who escalates things, they need someone who can look at a scary letter, or a scary situation, and calmly tell them what's actually true.

Most days, that's the whole job. Not courtroom drama, just making sure someone who built something real doesn't lose it over confusion or fear or not knowing who to call.

If you've got a letter, a question, or just a nagging feeling you should check on your name, that's what we're here for. Drop a comment or send a message, happy to just talk it through.

09/08/2026

Every business you recognize started as somebody's messy, unfinished idea.

Early mornings before the day job. Late nights after everyone else went to bed. A hundred small decisions nobody sees, and just as many mistakes that got fixed along the way.

That's what building something actually looks like. Not the highlight reel, the grind behind it.

This Labor Day, we're thinking about the founders and business owners doing exactly that right now, the people turning an idea into something real, one decision at a time.

A brand is never just a name or a logo. It's the work behind it. That's exactly why it's worth protecting.

Happy Labor Day from all of us at Indie Law. 🇺🇸

09/04/2026

Thinking about a rebrand? The logo might be the easy part.

The expensive part is everything you’ve already built around your name.

Your website. Your domain. Your packaging. Your social handles. Your marketing. Your customer recognition.

And all the time you’ve spent teaching people what that name means.

That’s why a rebrand can cost so much more than simply creating a new logo.

You’re not just replacing a graphic. You’re changing the name customers recognize, updating every place the old one appears, and rebuilding years of brand association.

And you’re doing all of that while trying to run your business.

That’s why trademark strategy is worth thinking about before your brand becomes expensive to change.

You don’t have to wait until your business is huge to start asking the right questions.

If you’re naming a new brand, think about where that name can take you, not just how it looks on a logo.

Save this for your next launch.

09/01/2026

You formed the LLC. Bought the domain. Grabbed the social handles. Registered the business. Paid for the logo.

So your brand is protected. Right?

Not necessarily.

This is one of the biggest points of confusion we see with business owners. The things you do when launching a business can all be important, but they don't all give you the same kind of protection.

Your LLC creates a business entity. Your domain gives you control of a web address. Your social handles give you your place on those platforms. Your business registration gives you the legal right to operate under that name in your state. Your logo becomes part of your visual identity.

None of those automatically give you exclusive trademark rights to your brand name.

That's why it's important to understand what you've actually protected. Because building a brand and protecting a brand are two different things.

And if you've spent years building recognition around a name, that's a difference worth knowing.

Save this for your next launch, and send it to a founder who might be mixing these up.

08/22/2026

Every founder starts somewhere.

Before the logo.
Before the website.
Before the first customer.
Before there's even a brand to protect.

There's an idea.
Then comes the hard part.

Figuring out what to build, and how to build it.
Finding the right people to learn from, and the resources to keep moving.

That's one of the reasons Indie Law donated to Future Founders as part of our Q3 Community Giving Initiative.

Future Founders supports young people and young adults exploring entrepreneurship through mentorship, funding, and founder programs.

We spend our days helping founders protect what they've built.
Future Founders spends its days helping the next generation build something worth protecting in the first place.

Two ends of the same journey. Both worth showing up for.

Building a business isn't easy. We see it every day. Sometimes the difference between an idea and a company is just one person willing to show up in your corner.

Want to learn more about Future Founders and the work they're doing?
Check them out here.
https://na2.hubs.ly/H07n6v-0

08/19/2026

Today at 12 PM Central. Free live training on how to legally lock down your brand name.

We're covering the three most expensive trademark mistakes entrepreneurs make, and what to do this week to protect your business.

Save your seat!

08/18/2026

Last call. Our free live training on how to legally lock down your brand name is tomorrow, Wednesday, August 19 at 12 PM Central.

We're covering the three most expensive trademark mistakes entrepreneurs make, and what to do this week to protect your business.

Show up live and you'll get our top 5 legal contract template bundle. That bonus is only for people who attend live, it will not be part of the replay.

Save your seat, check the first comment for the registration link.

08/14/2026

You do not need a lawyer to file a trademark application. That part is true. The USPTO lets anyone file on their own.

Here's what usually goes wrong. Filing under the wrong class, describing your goods and services incorrectly, or missing a conflict that a proper search would have caught. Mistakes like these can get an application refused, and fixing them after the fact often costs more than doing it right from the start.

Filing is easy to start and easy to get wrong. On Wednesday, August 19 at 12 PM Central, we're covering the three most expensive trademark mistakes entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them, free.

Save your seat, check the first comment for the registration link.

Address

3033 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL
60657

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

https://indielaw.com/video

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