At Portalatin Business Law Firm, we help founders and business owners in Fort Lauderdale register and protect their brands with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Since April 2017, Attorney Jessica Portalatin has built brand protection strategies for entrepreneurs launching in the U.S. market.
A trademark includes your brand name, logo, or slogan. A federal registration gives you the legal right to stop others from using something confusingly similar across the country. Business formation creates the company that protects your personal assets, and a trademark protects what customers actually recognize and remember as your brand.
Fort Lauderdale is an international trade hub, which raises the odds that someone else is already using a similar name. The volume of commerce is exactly why a clearance search before filing matters.
Do-it-yourself filings often come back with a refusal letter from the USPTO, which costs more time and money to fix than filing correctly the first time. Consultations are handled virtually, and trademark work sits alongside the other business legal help we provide locally.
Protection built before problems start
The firm registers and secures brand rights early, so a name is locked down before a launch, a funding round, or an Amazon Brand Registry application depends on it. That is cheaper and faster than fighting over a name someone else claimed first.
Recognized by peers and the profession
Founding attorney, Jessica Portalatin, has been named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list since 2022, a group representing roughly the top 2.5% of Florida attorneys, and holds a 4.9 out of 5.0 peer review rating on Martindale-Hubbell.
Built for founders crossing a border
The firm works regularly with brands that are entering the U.S. market, and advises on what to sort out before you invest here.
A long-term legal partner, not a one-time filing
Trademarks need monitoring, renewals, and enforcement years after registration. The firm stays with you through all of it.
Often, yes. Many trademark attorneys also practice broader business law, so they can register your trademark and set up an LLC or corporation. Some attorneys focus only on trademark filings, so ask directly what the engagement covers before you sign anything.
Keeping related work with one firm usually means fewer handoffs, one point of contact, and clearer flat-fee pricing. It also catches gaps founders miss: no clearance search before launch, goods and services listed in the wrong class, a registration that quietly lapses, or nobody watching for copycat filings.
Under Florida Statutes Chapter 495, a state trademark registration protects your mark only inside Florida, while a federal USPTO registration covers the entire country. If you are selling nationwide or on Amazon, state-only filing will not fully protect your brand.
With a trademark registration, licensing your brand to a distributor or partner becomes a profitable option. Putting the agreement in writing before money changes hands becomes crucial.
Most applications take about 12 to 18 months from filing to registration when nothing goes wrong. The USPTO alone usually needs several months just to assign your application to an examining attorney before anyone reviews it.
Three things stretch that timeline: an office action requiring a written response, an opposition filed by another brand owner during the 30-day publication window, or filing on intent-to-use rather than actual use, which adds steps after approval.
Most delays trace back to decisions made before filing. A thorough clearance search catches conflicting marks early, and choosing the right classes matters more than founders expect. A yacht services company at Port Everglades and an apparel brand using the same name sit in different classes with very different risk profiles.
Our firm files with that strategy in mind, responds to USPTO correspondence, and keeps you updated without you chasing anyone. If you need protection locked in before an Amazon Brand Registry approval or a funding round, say so early so we can plan around your launch date.
Portalatin Business Law Firm opened in April 2017 and works with business owners and brand builders across Florida. Attorney Jessica Portalatin is a member in good standing of The Florida Bar and has been named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for four consecutive years, a recognition given to roughly the top 2.5% of attorneys in the state.
The approach is proactive rather than reactive. The firm builds the legal foundation first: reducing liability, protecting intellectual property, and supporting growth over the long term. Every solution is shaped around real business goals, whether launching a startup, entering the U.S. market, or protecting a brand that already has traction.
1. Initial Meeting
We meet by video and review your brand name, logo, and launch plans. We discuss the process, next steps, and what the flat fee will be before anything starts.
2. Trademark Clearance Search
Before a single form is filed, we search USPTO records, state registrations, and common-law uses for names that could block yours. Skipping this step is the most common reason DIY filings get rejected months later.
3. Classification And Filing Strategy
The USPTO sorts trademarks into 45 classes, and picking the wrong one can leave your actual products unprotected. We choose the classes that match what you sell now and where you plan to expand.
4. Application Filing And USPTO Correspondence
We prepare and file the application, then handle every letter that comes back. If the examiner sends an office action, a refusal letter requiring a formal written response, we can draft and file it for you.
5. Monitoring Through To Registration
We track your application through each stage, including the publication period when others can oppose it, and keep you updated in your preferred language.
6. Renewals And Portfolio Management
Registered marks require maintenance filings between years five and six, then every ten years. We calendar those deadlines and manage additional marks as your brand grows.
You can legally file on your own, unless the applicant does not reside in the United States. The USPTO requires anyone whose permanent address is outside the U.S. to be represented by a licensed U.S. attorney.
Costs break into two parts: the USPTO government filing fee, currently $350 per class of goods or services under the Trademark Center base application, plus your attorney’s fee.
Expect roughly 12 to 18 months for a smooth application. This time line varies and can change from time to time.
TM (and SM for services) can be used by anyone claiming rights in a name, with no registration or with a state registration. The R symbol is exclusively used by federally-registered trademarks with the USPTO.
A rejection arrives as an office action, a letter from the USPTO examiner explaining the problem and giving you a deadline to respond, usually three months with an option to extend.
You report a violation with Amazon and send a cease-and-desist letter, which resolves most situations without litigation.
Yes. Trademark work is filed electronically with the USPTO, and consultations, document signing, and updates all happen by video and email.
They do different jobs. Forming an LLC or corporation registers your legal entity with the Florida Division of Corporations and provides limited liability and asset protection. t does not stop anyone else in the country from using your brand name. Many trademark applications are filed with the LLC or corporation as the applicant or owner of the trademark, making it practical in many occasions to file your business first.
No. If you have a genuine plan to launch, you can file an intent-to-use application and lock in your filing date now, then submit proof of sales later.
Federal trial court handling civil and commercial litigation in Broward County, including intellectual property disputes.
Main state court facility where civil matters, including business and commercial cases, are filed and heard.
Official office maintaining public records, business filings, and official documents for Broward County.
State agency where businesses register entities and fictitious names, relevant when aligning business identity with brand protection.
Issues local business tax receipts and maintains business registration information for entities operating in Broward County.
Regional economic development organization supporting businesses establishing or expanding operations in Broward County.
Federally funded resource center offering counseling and workshops to help small businesses with growth and compliance.
Municipal office responsible for official city records, licensing documentation, and public meeting records.
Federal agency that administers the national registration system for marks, and the primary body clients interact with when securing brand rights.
You do not need to be in an office, or even in the United States, to protect your brand name. Consultations happen by video and are offered during various days and time slots.
Bring the name you want to register, a short description of what you sell, and any letter the USPTO has already sent you. You will leave the call knowing what you need to do to know if your name is clear to move forward, what the process for filing will cost, and how long registration should take.
Call us to book your trademark consultation. Filing before a competitor claims the same name is the most affordable protection you will ever buy.
