Owning a federal trademark registration on the Principal Register provides a number of significant advantages over common law rights alone, including:

• A legal presumption of your ownership of the mark and your exclusive right to use the mark nationwide on or in connection with the goods/services listed in the registration (whereas a state registration only provides rights within the borders of that one state, and common law rights exist only for the specific area where the mark is used);
• Public notice of your claim of ownership of the mark;
• Listing in the USPTO’s online databases;
• The ability to record the U.S. registration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to prevent importation of infringing foreign goods;
• The right to use the federal registration symbol “®”;
• The ability to bring an action concerning the mark in federal court; and
• The use of the U.S. registration as a basis to obtain registration in foreign countries.