Faith Mitton, Esq.

The fastest way to ruin a summer is dealing with an avoidable legal problem.

For the folks I rub shoulders with, that often looks like a trademark issue showing up at the worst possible time — a cease and desist letter, a takedown notice, or a dispute over a name you thought you owned.

Trademark problems don’t pause for the season. Infringement doesn’t wait for vacations. And nothing pulls you out of summer mode faster than being forced to deal with a legal fire that could have been prevented.

Many of these situations aren’t the result of bad decisions. They happen because brand protection sits on the “I’ll get to it later” list until something goes wrong.

And nothing is more annoying when something you were going to get later suddenly becomes an emergency...just as you were getting ready to unplug.

Getting trademark protection off your to-do list before things slow down can mean fewer interruptions later, and a lot more peace of mind while you’re actually trying to rest.

So as summer kicks off, this is a gentle reminder for my business folks + brand owners: protecting the name you’re building under isn’t about panic or pressure. It’s about clearing mental space so rest ACTUALLY feels like rest.

Your future self will thank you!

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 2

Faith Mitton, Esq.

A lot of people come to trademark questions with the same quiet uncertainty:

Do I actually need this yet?
Is this the right time?
Am I protecting the right name — or just reacting out of fear?

Because “protecting a name” isn’t one-size-fits-all.

A business name does different work than a product line.
A stage name carries different stakes than a book or series title.
A name you’re testing feels very different from one that’s already carrying revenue or reputation.

And yet, many brand owners feel like their only options are:
• ignore it and hope for the best, or
• jump straight into legal action without clarity.

There’s a middle ground.

I created a short quiz that helps you think through whether trademark protection actually makes sense for you right now — based on how your name is being used, where your business is headed, and what kind of risk you’re comfortable with.

It’s not a sales pitch.
It’s a decision tool.

If you’ve been circling questions about protecting a name — whether it’s a business name, product line, creative name, or something you’re still growing into — this can give you a clearer starting point.

Take the quiz here: mittonlaw.com/tm-quiz-start/

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 2

Faith Mitton, Esq.

Brand strategy evolves.
Trademark filings don’t.

I once helped an entertainer to register a trademark for their stage name, covering just performances and creative work. At the time, that was exactly what the brand was.

Then the business grew.

Merchandise. Products. A broader entrepreneurial vision. The same name started doing far more work than the original trademark filing had anticipated.

And there wasn't any trademark protection for those new items without applying for more trademarks.

Nothing went wrong.
The brand simply evolved faster than the legal protection.

This comes up more often than people realize, and not just for entertainers. The same issue shows up with business names, product lines, book series, and character names.

Trademark protection captures how a name is being used at a specific moment in time. It doesn’t automatically stretch to cover where a brand may be headed next.

Thinking about future growth early — even in broad strokes — can make brand protection feel calmer and more intentional later on.

It’s one of those things that’s easy to overlook when you’re building, and much harder to unwind once momentum has taken hold.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1

Faith Mitton, Esq.

Do You Need To Rebrand Because Of A Trademark Dispute?

Trademark trouble rarely announces itself. One day it’s a lookalike handle or a sketchy review. The next day it’s an email, a notice, or a takedown you didn’t expect.

Most founders don’t know which conflicts matter… or how to respond without making things worse.

The Brand Conflict Survival Guide breaks it all down — when a takedown is enough, when a letter is smarter, and when it's time to escalate to a more serious type of dispute resolution.

It's a plain-English walkthrough of every major type of trademark dispute, whether you’re the one enforcing your rights or the one being accused of infringement.

If you want clarity before your next conflict hits, download it here.

Get the guide: mittonlaw.com/trademark-conflict-survival-guide/

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Faith Mitton, Esq.

Your business is growing.

Revenue is stronger.
Opportunities are bigger.
You’re entering new markets.

And suddenly, your trademark feels smaller than your vision.

Not incorrect. Just "limited."

The brand that helped you launch may not be built for where you’re headed.

When a business scales, trademark strategy changes.

Can this trademark expand with us?
Is it strong enough to defend nationally… or globally?
Does it hold the full scope of what we plan to offer next?

Growth increases visibility.
Visibility increases exposure.

Rebranding at that stage isn’t reactive. It’s structural.

Because as your business grows, your trademark stops being a marketing detail.

It becomes an asset, and assets need to be built for the level you intend to reach.

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Faith Mitton, Esq.

Thinking about changing your trademark?

Here’s the part no one talks about.

You need a lawyer you trust enough to tell you something you may not want to hear.

Sometimes the name you love isn’t protectable.
Sometimes the risk is heavier than it looks.
Sometimes the “clever” version isn’t defensible at scale.

Rebrands aren’t just creative decisions.

They’re ownership decisions.

And if there isn’t enough trust in the room to weigh legal risk honestly, the brand could end up weaker — even if it *feels* like a better fit for you.

The strongest rebrands happen when ambition and legal reality are allowed to sit at the same table.

2 months ago | [YT] | 3

Faith Mitton, Esq.

Are You In Danger Of Losing Your Trademark?

A trademark can be approved...and still be lost.

That’s the part most business owners don’t realize when they receive their registration certificate.

Approval confirms your rights, but it doesn’t freeze them in place. What happens after registration matters just as much as what came before it.

I see brands do everything right to get registered, then unintentionally create risk because no one ever talks about the what you do AFTER the trademark is approved to keep it.

If you’ve recently had a trademark approved — or you’re expecting one soon — I put together a simple checklist that walks through what to think about next, so protection doesn’t quietly stop at approval.

You can grab it here: mittonlaw.com/trademark-owner-checklist/

2 months ago | [YT] | 1

Faith Mitton, Esq.

Hiring Trademark Lawyers for Trademark Filings Is A MUST

A botched $45 trademark filing ended up costing my client six figures.

The trademark was the core of a well-known entertainment brand. At some point, it needed to move from one company to another — same owner, internal transfer, seemed simple enough.

So the brand owner filed a trademark transfer without hiring a trademark lawyer.

Their mistakes didn’t show up right away. They only surfaced later, when ownership of the trademark became an issue in a legal dispute. By then, the mistakes couldn’t be fixed, and the 6-figure fallout was real.

This is why trademark filings are so often underestimated. They look administrative. They aren’t.

When a brand matters to the business, even small decisions around how the trademark is handled can have outsized consequences later on.

If this surprises you, it’s worth slowing down before handling any trademark filings on your own.

2 months ago | [YT] | 0

Faith Mitton, Esq.

Legal support touches some of the most important decisions in a business.

And yet, many founders don’t pause to think about what they actually want from that relationship.

Most legal decisions are made under some level of pressure — when something needs attention, a question comes up, or a risk suddenly feels real.

In those moments, it’s easy to focus on getting it handled, rather than what kind of support actually helps you move forward with confidence.

So let’s slow it down for a second.

When it comes to legal support, what matters most to you right now? 👇🏽

3 months ago | [YT] | 0

Faith Mitton, Esq.

"All We Do Is Trademarks" vs "We Do Trademarks Too"




Those two phrases sound almost identical when spoken by a lawyer or law firm.
But they’re not.

“All we do is trademarks” usually means depth.
Repetition.
Seeing the same issues play out across different brands, industries, and growth stages.

“We do trademarks too” often means trademarks are handled alongside many other things.
Not wrong.
Just different.

And here’s why that distinction matters:

Trademark issues rarely show up once and disappear.
They evolve.
They repeat.
They get more complex as a brand grows.

Seeing those patterns over and over again changes how advice is given.
It sharpens judgment.
It helps spot risks before they turn into limitations.

Neither approach is automatically better.
But they’re built for different kinds of brands.

If your brand is meant to stay small and contained, the "trademarks + more" option may be enough for you.
If your brand is meant to grow, expand, or be leveraged over time, the "trademark focus" option may be a better fit.

What kind of support do you think your brand actually needs right now? 👇🏽

4 months ago | [YT] | 0