• Principal Register: This is the most common type of trademark registration. It provides the strongest legal protection for the trademark.
• Supplemental Register: This type of registration is available for trademarks that are not yet in use in commerce but that the applicant has a bona fide intention to use in the future.

Anyone can apply for a trademark registration in the United States, regardless of their nationality or residency. However, there are some eligibility requirements that must be met:
~The applicant must have a bona fide intention to use the trademark in commerce.
~The trademark must be distinctive.
~The trademark must not be confusingly similar to another registered trademark.

Trademark registration in the United States is valid for ten years from the registration date. To maintain the registration and keep the trademark valid, the owner must file a trademark renewal application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) between the 9th and 10th year of the registration period.

A registered trademark can be renewed indefinitely for ten years as long as the owner continues using the mark in commerce and files the necessary maintenance documents with the USPTO.

1. The applicant must complete and sign the application form. The applicant can be an individual, a partnership, a corporation, or another legal entity.
2. A specimen of use is required to show that the trademark is used in commerce. This can be a photograph, a copy of a label, or other documentation that shows the trademark being used in connection with the goods or services that it is registered for.
3. A drawing of the trademark is required. The drawing should be clear and concise, and it should show all of the distinctive features of the trademark.
4. If the applicant is not a U.S. citizen or resident, they must appoint a U.S. attorney to represent them in the trademark registration process. The applicant and the attorney must sign the power of attorney document.

Step 1: Filing Of Application
The application is filed with the USPTO and an official filing receipt along with the serial number is issued. The real-time status of the filed trademark can be tracked at http://tsdr.uspto.gov/ using the serial number.

Step 2: Trademark Examination
Upon filing the application, within the next three months it will be assigned to the Trademark Examiner or Trademark Attorney, who will investigate the application for substantive grounds of objection (similarity with other marks, etc.).

Step 3: Trademark Office Action
If any informality and/or substantive ground of objection is found during the examination, an Office Action notice will be issued. You have 6 months time period to file a reply to the Office Action and remove the respective informality and/or respond to why the substantive ground of objection must be waived.

Step 4: Publication Of Trademark Action
In the event of no informality and/or objection, or once a response to the Office Action has been filed and the same is duly accepted by the Examiner, your trademark application shall be approved for publication in the respective Trademark Official Gazette. The Gazette lists all the newly published marks renewed and cancelled marks. A prior Notice of Publication shall be issued by the USPTO stating the date of the publication of the trademark application.

Step 5: Trademark Opposition Period
Within 30 days from the date of publication of the trademark application in the Trademark Official Gazette, any third party and other trademark owners may oppose that your mark is similar to their brand and/or may cause commercial or economic harm to them. In such a case, they can also file for an extension of time for a period of maximum 180 days for filing an opposition against the trademark, subject to the approval from the USPTO.
In the event an opposition is filed within 30 days or the extended time period, the respective opposition proceedings shall be initiated.

Step 6: Trademark Registration
If no opposition arises during this period, the USPTO shall issue the Registration Certificate for the trademark, provided the application is not filed on Intent to Use Filing Basic (Sec. 1b). For a trademark application filed on Intent to Use basis, the USPTO shall issue a Notice of Allowance.