You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

Trademarks: The First Line of Defense Protecting Your Brand (Infographic) From Apple to Coca-Cola to Yves Saint Laurent, a look at the big business behind those little images, symbols and words that make up a company's brand.

By Catherine Clifford

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The value of Apple's brand was $124.2 billion in 2014. Microsoft's brand was worth $63 billion. And Google's brand was worth $56.6 billion. That's big money. Even if your company's brand isn't worth as much Apple, Microsoft, or Google, it's worth protecting.

The most visible component of your brand are the logos, words or phrases that instantly identify your goods and services to customers. Think about the Nike swoosh or Google written in blue, red, yellow and green. These logos, words and phrases are also the easiest part of a business to copy.

Related: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Big Idea

That's why it's critical to legally file for protection of these logos, words and phrases with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. By registering your business's trademarks, you make it illegal for another business to use your proprietary logos and phrases on their competitive products. Your trademarks, then, become your brand's first line of defense. They are like the alarm system for your house.

Peruse the infographic generated by SmartUp, a legal startup that is building an online platform connecting attorneys and clients, to have a look at how long it takes to obtain a trademark in the U.S., and which U.S. states, companies and foreign countries apply for the most trademarks. The infographic also estimates the value of the biggest brands out there.

Related: How Do You Sustain Your Brand's Value? Follow These 6 Steps.

Click to Enlarge

Trademarks: The First Line of Defense Protecting Your Brand (Infographic)

Related: The Companies That Apply for the Most Patents and Trademarks (Infographic)

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

From Tom Brady to Kevin O'Leary – See Who Lost Big in the Wake of the FTX Crypto Collapse

The crash exposed an $8 billion hole in FTX's accounts, leaving investors and customers scrambling to recoup their funds.

Business News

This Highly-Debated Piece of Cinematic History Just Sold For Over $700,000 at Auction

The wood panel from "Titanic" is often mistaken as a door. Either way, he couldn't have fit. (Sorry.)

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Says This CEO Is the 'Taylor Swift' of Tech

Meta's CEO posed with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Instagram Wednesday.

Fundraising

Avoid These 9 Pitch Deck Mistakes When Asking Others For Money

Crafting an efficient pitch deck requires serious effort, but at least it's not wandering in the dark since certain rules are shaped by decades of relationships between startups and investors.