Trademark Application Officially Submitted
Today I filed my trademark for EYE LOVE GAINS. Now, I have to patiently wait. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly. All social media accounts are set up, except my Twitter. I will be announcing the change on my twitter account shortly. What an absolute relief to get this done.
My Story of Dealing with Copycats in Business
As some of you know, my business, The Vision Parlor, had a Canadian couple copy my business. I have a pending trademark, however, not being officially “registered” means it doesn’t matter to some people. I have a following in Canada, but unfortunately because this Owner and her husband decided to file for trademark the day after I emailed them requesting they change their name to avoid brand confusion for consumers, they didn’t care. The business name, domain name, social media handles, everything was copied and an extra letter was added. The owner’s response was because I used “her” hashtag on Instagram, I created the brand confusion. Failing to see that she created the confusion to begin with is truly unfortunate. This is unusual behavior from “professionals” within the eye care industry, but this only shows their true colors. I pray they uphold the high standards that stands behind The Vision Parlo_r, and I don’t receive their reviews, and vice versa.
Brand Confusion
The Vision Parlor has its own eyewear line, merchandise, and apparel. We don’t see Oaklee vs. Oakley, Sunglasses Hut vs. Sunglass Hut, Tiffannees Eyewear vs. Tiffany Eyewear, Celin Dion Eyewear vs. Celine Dion Eyewear, etc. There’s an understanding that we refrain from copying names of businesses that have actual products within the same industry.
In December, I took a poll to see how people from all around the world spell “Parlor” and it was a very close margin, enough to shift traffic from my website over to theirs.
Current Status
I’m waiting on USPTO to provide me with an official registration before moving towards litigation. I did my best to be kind and ask them to think of the confusion when they pronounce their business name and it sounds pneumatically the same as my business (i.e. their Facebook Christmas Giveaway video).
My Mission
I know how hard I worked to build my brand, and my Canadian followers know who the original is. I simply want to help other Entrepreneurs and Creators protect their work. This is your greatest asset. Do not let someone take advantage of your work. I’ll be compiling a list of Trademark Lawyers I’ll recommend at a later time. It’s time small business owners and creators stand together to protect their work. We must stop trademark infringers, patent infringers, copyright infringers, and copycats.
