What Are the Different Types of Trademark Jobs?

Perhaps the best known trademark job belongs to trademark attorneys, but trademark agents, examiners, paralegals, and some graphic designers and brand managers are also included under the “trademark jobs” umbrella. The trademark career field is a broad one, and there are many different types of trademark jobs. Some jobs focus on protecting trademarks, others on creating them in the first place. Any job that even tangentially relates to branding can be properly considered a trademark job.

Trademarks are legal instruments, so it follows that most trademark jobs are related to the law. Lawyers are the most obvious example. Trademark lawyers advise brand owners on any number of different trademark issues, from how to get trademark protection in the first place to how to sue for infringement.

There is quite a diversity of trademark work even within the law. Some lawyers work for companies, while others are hired by individuals or small businesses. Most act as trademark law advisers, but some are primarily litigators. Others still work for national governments, helping to craft trademark laws and regulations from the top down.

Almost all lawyers have support staff. In the trademark sector, these professionals can also be considered as holding trademark jobs. This includes trademark paralegals, litigation assistants, project managers, and litigation secretaries.

The government is another place where there are numerous trademark jobs. In most countries, trademarks are facets of national law. Trademark offices control the trademark granting process from start to finish. Most of the time, it is a national trademark office that decides whether to grant trademark protection in the first place.

Trademark review is typically carried out by specially-trained trademark agents. These agents are often trained as lawyers, but not always. They, along with any other government employee who participates in the trademark application or review process, can properly be said to hold trademark jobs, as well.

Not all trademark careers are directly related to registering and protecting trademarks, however. Some jobs are more focused on creating those trademarks in the first place. Graphic design specialists, advertising managers, and marketing professionals often fit into this category.

In its most basic sense, a trademark is any logo, phrase, word, or visual representation that indicates the source of a certain good or service. Most of the time, trademarks begin as ideas in a company’s advertising department. In many ways, the creative minds behind trademark formation have trademark jobs, even if trademarks are not the only focus in the day-to-day course of their business.