Trademark registration and copyright

• The exact mark: the word in standard characters, and the logo file if the logo is filed too.
• An English translation of any Turkish or other non-English word in the mark, and a transliteration of non-Latin characters such as Chinese (37 CFR 2.32).
• The list of goods and services, matched to entries in the USPTO ID Manual where possible.
• The owner's legal name, entity type and domicile street address: for a company, the place where its senior officers direct it. A mail-forwarding address generally does not count.
• For a mark already used in the U.S.: the date of first use and one specimen per class, such as a photo of the product, label or packaging with the mark, or a product page that shows the mark and how to order.
• For a Madrid or priority filing: the TÜRKPATENT application or registration number, its date and the certificate.
• Any letters already received: warning letters, Amazon or Etsy notices, emails that claim to be from the USPTO.

• Likelihood of confusion: the USPTO calls it the most common reason for refusing registration. Marks that sound, look or mean the same as an earlier mark for related goods can be refused even when spelled differently.
• Descriptive or generic words: a word that only describes the product is hard to register. Under the doctrine of foreign equivalents, a Turkish or Chinese word is translated into English and judged the same way.
• Specimen refusals: mock-ups, digitally altered images, renderings of planned packaging and web pages without ordering information are refused.
• Wrong owner: an application filed in the name of a distributor, a relative or an Amazon account holder instead of the company that owns the brand.
• Missed deadlines: no reply to an office action in time abandons the application; a missed Section 8 or 9 filing cancels the registration once the 6-month grace period ends.
• Madrid dependency: for five years an international registration depends on the Turkish basic application. If that application is refused or the Turkish mark is cancelled in those five years, the U.S. protection based on it falls too; it can be turned into a direct U.S. application within three months.
• Scam notices: official-looking letters and emails demanding payment. USPTO emails end in @uspto.gov, and official USPTO documents always appear in the TSDR record.
• Sharing your USPTO.gov password: the USPTO warns it can lead to filings made without your knowledge and to account suspension. An attorney files from their own account.

• You have not chosen a name yet: search first. Filing does not reserve a name that conflicts with an earlier mark.
• You need protection in Turkey: that is a TÜRKPATENT filing under Turkish law, see Turkish law. The USPTO covers the U.S. only.
• Your Amazon or Etsy account is already suspended: a trademark filing does not reinstate it by itself. The appeal is a separate matter; say so in the intake.
• Someone already uses the same or a similar name for related goods in the U.S.: expect a refusal or a dispute, and get advice before investing in the name.

Who this is for

• Turkish brands selling, or about to sell, in the U.S. directly or through Amazon, Etsy or a distributor.
• Amazon sellers who need a registered or pending U.S. mark for Amazon Brand Registry.
• Chinese-speaking brand owners filing in the U.S. for the first time.
• Businesses that received a trademark warning letter or a platform complaint, and creators who want to register their works.

Key requirements

• A filing basis: use in U.S. commerce (Section 1(a)), a bona fide intent to use (Section 1(b)), a Turkish application filed within the previous six months (Section 44(d)), a Turkish registration (Section 44(e)), or a Madrid designation through TÜRKPATENT (Section 66(a)).
• Owners whose domicile is outside the U.S. must be represented by a U.S.-licensed attorney (37 CFR 2.11). For a company, domicile is the place where its senior officers direct and control it.
• Each class of goods or services pays its own fee, and the description must be specific.
• Copyright exists when an original work is created. Registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is voluntary, but a U.S. work generally must be registered before an infringement lawsuit (17 U.S.C. 411).
• A registration stays alive only with Section 8 declarations and Section 9 renewals filed on time.

What to check with an attorney

• Whether the name is available and registrable in the U.S., not only whether the domain is available.
• Which owner, classes and goods or services to claim, and which route (direct, priority or Madrid) fits the class count.
• Whether a Turkish or Chinese filing is also needed for the same brand.
• If someone filed your brand first: a letter of protest before publication, an opposition within 30 days of publication, or a petition to cancel after registration.

Fees and rules reviewed 16 Oct 2026. Sources below.

Official sources:

1. USPTO fee schedule (effective 19 Jan 2025, revised 14 Aug 2026)
2. 37 CFR 2.11: requirement for representation (eCFR)
3. USPTO: current trademark processing wait times (data as of 1 Oct 2026)
4. 37 CFR 2.62: office-action response periods (eCFR)
5. 37 CFR 2.101–2.102: opposition period (eCFR)
6. 37 CFR 2.88–2.89: Statement of Use and extensions (eCFR)
7. USPTO: keeping your registration alive
8. WIPO: Madrid individual fees
9. WIPO: Madrid schedule of fees
10. Madrid Protocol, Articles 6 and 9quinquies (WIPO Lex)
11. USPTO: Madrid inbound application process
12. USPTO: trademark timelines by filing basis
13. Amazon: Brand Registry eligibility
14. USPTO: likelihood of confusion
15. TMEP §§803.05(a), 1207.01(b)(vi): domicile; foreign equivalents
16. USPTO: specimen refusals
17. USPTO: recognizing common scams
18. U.S. Copyright Office: fees
19. 17 U.S.C. 411: registration and infringement actions
20. 37 CFR 2.32: application requirements, translation of non-English wording (eCFR)

What changed: added the 2025 USPTO fee structure, USPTO wait times, the Madrid route from TÜRKPATENT, Amazon Brand Registry, warning letters and renewal deadlines.