Mint Purple Studio successfully registered our trademark with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) a few months ago. The process was long, as is most experiences that deal with the government. However, it was also challenging and a great learning experience. Yes, I am an attorney and practiced corporate law for two years but I never dealt with trademark registration as that falls under its own special category of IP Law. My legal training and experience helped, having Esq. at the end of my name also helped…. But I would say that any clever layman/woman can start the process on their own too by educating themselves (the Internet is a great resource), finishing up by procuring an attorney to review and sign off on the application.
I will outline the general process I went through here; however NOTE : none of this should be taken as legal advice. Plus everyone’s needs are different so each application in detail will be different as well.
1. Research, download and review the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) application form to get an overview of what the requirements are for filing the studio’s trademark.
2. Familiarize self with the different classes that the studio’s services can fall under for trademark filing. This is probably the most important and arduous step because I found that although I knew exactly that I wanted to register the studio’s many design services and design products, the issue is there are many many many! Each class costs $275 to register if using the online TEAS form so I had to choose wisely even if I wanted to register that many.
3. Login to the USPTO and complete the TEAS application online. I needed to get the application done in one day because the system exits on its own if idle for more than an hour and I couldn’t risk losing all my data after spending a lot of time filling out so much detail in the application. I had to provide examples of the studio’s product, evidence that the products were in commerce on or before the date of filing and compile a lot of photographic support to show my products and design services had the studio’s mark at the time I was doing business.
4. After submitting the completed application online, I signed off as owner and attorney of record because the USPTO will only correspond with attorneys on applications. It took me a few months to get everything together, one day to submit the application.
5. The USPTO replied to my application by issuing an office action which is also viewable online. The office action detailed issues that the USPTO examiner had with my application and I was given 6 months to address the issues in order to proceed forward. In the studio’s case, the biggest challenge was again classification. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of working with a very experienced and kind USPTO examiner who was willing to give me some guidance. Thank you Patty! She went above and beyond her call of duty and I was definitely blessed to have such a nice attorney work on the case.
6. Each time I addressed an office action, I used the TEAS system response form on the USPTO website. This process took the longest (about a year). The toll was in part due to my being pregnant and having a crazy pregnancy. I was working on a reply up until the day I delivered and a month after my baby was born!
7. Once the USPTO examiner felt I fully addressed all of the issues on the application, she approved the mark for publication in the USPTO Official Gazette. The mark then needs to pass a defense period of thirty days to see if anyone challenges it.
8. After the mark passes the defense period, an official registration certificate is issued and mailed to the address on file. The moment I received the certificate, I wanted to jump up and down with excitement 🙂
And that is it for my experience with trademark registration. 🙂 Maintenance paperwork needs to be filed in a few years but now the studio’s trademark is considered officially registered! This PDF file is a great explanatory overview of the process.
So designers and artists, you can begin this process yourself too. If you want legal consultation, feel free to email me at trademark@mintpurplestudio.com. Good luck!
It seems like everyone has a mobile app now, why shouldn’t we? Being somewhat tech savvy and a total dork in these things, I did some research as to what would be the fastest way to publish an app while allowing for maximum customization and minimal coding hassle. I came across Conduit Mobile – they’re the ones that make funky toolbars for your web browser. We were able to build the app online but we still had to open separate developer accounts at apple, Googleplay and pay some fees to allow us to publish our app into their app stores. It took about a day and a half with an all-nighter in between. Now we’re waiting for Conduit Mobile to fix some bugs in the submitted app, review the app and then complete the submission process. We’re so excited!
Here are some screenshots of the app so far!
iPhone simulation
iPad simulation
android phone simulation
windows phone simulation
Hello everyone, it’s been awhile! The studio’s been busy with some projects for clients that must remain confidential so no blog posts or photos…. but it’s all been good. We recently got commissioned by a startup toy store in California to create a logo for their new business. The requirements were that the logo be colorful, creative (of course), educational with a focus on non-technology as a theme. The owner of the store I found adopted a few guide dogs and have a loving, big heart. So I used that as my inspiration to create a new character named Mr. Delle. He is named after one of the owner’s late guide dogs Mistel who was a beautiful and protective puppy.
Mr. Delle is of course a guide dog, a half golden retriever and half labrador puppy. His favorite pastime is playing with his big toy bone and sleeping in the sun. Mr. Delle also likes to play with cats and on one occasion happened to meet Doraemon, aka ドラえもん in Japanese, the famous gadget cat from the future. Mr. Delle and Doraemon became instant buddies. Doraemon even gave Mr. Delle a little clear sounding bell collar as a gift. If you ever hear a tinkling bell down the street, it could be Mr. Delle helping someone who can not see very well. <3
If anyone is in California, feel free to stop by the new toy shop located at 12202 Garvey Avenue, Suite 101 EL Monte, CA 91732. You may run into Mr. Delle himself!
Happy Lunar New Year of the Dragon! A little belated but better late than never… Ha! There’s been a whole hype about this year of the dragon, mainly because the dragon is considered probably the most auspicious of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. So while I was brainstorming on what to design as a cute birth announcement for our expectant little bundle of joy, I decided to design it around the dragon. =) The end result was the birth of a new character named Dragon B.
Dragon B’s favorite food is milk and he tells his story here:
The template for this dragon birth announcement will be on sale eventually as a vector download on our Etsy shop or feel free to contact us for the template! We’re super excited to introduce more about Dragon B as his birthday comes up. Hope everyone is having a prosperous year of the Dragon so far and Dragon B sends a big welcome to all the new babies born this year! <3
It’s been a long while since I’ve blogged but there are reasons! The studio was moving back in April so there was a good period of packing up, moving, unpacking etc… Then in June, my husband and I found out that we were expecting our first baby but the pregnancy hormones had me on a few months of bedrest. I also got into the habit of using the Studio’s Facebook page as the main place for updating stuff too but I promise I’ll get back into blogging mode asap! Since my last character series blog, a lot of projects have come and gone. Instead of backblogging (which I will do when I get a chance on the Studio’s Facebook page), I thought I’d start getting back into the blogging community with a different topic… something on how I made the career move from attorney to artist/designer.
mint purple studio's recent maternity shoot project
This topic came to mind because I have a younger cousin who was applying for college and currently awaiting for decision letters. She tackled a lot of the same questions and issues that folds at some point in one’s career would repeatedly confront. For my cousin, the question was “what should I study in college and where should I apply (private, public…)?” For others, the question would be “what kind of career do I want and where should I work (corporate, government, not for profit, at home…)?” The latter question is definitely one I’ve asked myself time and time again throughout my entire career.
mint purple studio's photos published in Sanrio's June 2011 issue of Strawberry News
Giving up the safety net. Raised as an overachiever and being OCD as well as a perfectionist, I’ve done a lot in my career that others would consider as being “too much.” You can read in detail about my career story on the About page but briefly here, after I graduated from Barnard, I worked as a management consultant for a Big 5 consulting firm, got my MA from Harvard, became Chief of Staff for an established real estate development business, got my JD from Duke and then lawyered at one of the world’s top 25 law firms getting paid a nice 6 figure salary. That is, until I realized the sacrifice I would have to make on my health and principles. Needless to say, I burned myself out and ended up in the ER with a hyperactive thyroid! I then made the decision that nothing, not all the money in the world, was worth my health and time away from family. I left behind Big Law, the cushy 6 figure salary and vowed to never return. Coming to this decision was tough because it worried my traditional Asian parents and it came at a time when the economy was at an all time low. But I had the support of my husband who was gracious in accepting my decision and taking up my share of financial responsibility for the household.
Rediscovering myself. I had a period of down time. There were times when I questioned my decision and wondered whether I really wanted to be a stay/work at home wife, whether all the money that was spent on my education was being wasted, whether I was being impractical etc… The doubts were there along with many unanswered questions. So I took a few months to do some self-exploration, asking myself what I was passionate about, what I loved and perhaps never had the chance to indulge in or nurture because I was too busy “getting that next degree/moving up.” I reflected on my past, rediscovered my fine arts background and I ran with my gut by applying to the Graphic Intensive summer program at NYU. Originally, I had enrolled and was accepted with scholarship into the Graphics Management and Tech MA degree program but honestly I did not need another degree. I just needed current skills and an opportunity to learn and expand on them. Although not working per se, I still wanted to contribute to society in some way and so volunteered my time at Learning Ally to help the blind & dyslexic. I’ve always had a passion for helping the blind because one of my best friends is legally blind. Volunteering also kept me integrated with society. Through this somewhat long, arduous process, I discovered my problem — I was branding myself with a job description, with degrees, with labels that were more shackles of an older generation. The solution to my problem was to just start creating my art/designs. When people ask me what I do, I just say I’m an artist/designer in its most generous of definitions or however you’d like to call it. Shortly after, I started the foundations of Mint Purple Studio for all my wacky, creative endeavors.
an old charcoal drawing of mine which I dug out
Inspirations and Learning. No one walks alone. Because design draws its inspiration from different things, I’ve learned that it’s always pertinent to give credit where it’s due — if you’ve used someone else’s design element/idea, credit them! At certain points in my career, I’ve been inspired by folks for different reasons – whether it be in the area of artistic support or as a creative springboard. At a critical point in making my decision to leave law, I got the “push” after encountering these folks.
- Scott Robert Lim – I first encountered Scott online via his awesome photography on Xanga (does anyone still use Xanga?). His images were happy, creative and always accurately conveyed what I felt was a great photographer’s vision/story. After exploring more of Scott’s website and reading Scott’s story of how he entered wedding photography, I decided to start an email conversation asking Scott more about his career switch. Not only did I receive a timely reply, it was encouraging, supportive and a transparently down to earth one at that. Scott is known in the wedding photography industry to be a wonderful mentor and nowhere does this ring more true than in my experience. Scott is a blessing to know because he is a perfect role model of someone who has made it yet still remains humble and real, willing to help others looking to follow the same path.
- Junshien Lau – Junshien is an awesome friend whom I initially also met on Xanga (blog whore I was…). I’ve followed his career change and subsequent growth into becoming an amazing wedding photographer. In fact, once you take a look at his photography, you can not help but absorb a bit of Junshien’s passion for life, discipline and strong work ethic. As a personal friend, Junshien is humble, tells it like it is and committed — all the great qualities that has made his photography business so successful. When Junshien says that he tries his best to inspire his friends into finding their passion, he is not joking. Folks like him who are selfless in their work are truly a blessing and rare nowadays.
- Marie Wong – Marie is a personal friend whom I’ve met many years ago and through working together on a set of wedding invitations have grown close to. Marie was the first person to introduce me to working with Adobe Illustrator back in 2007 and teach me new, basic skill sets in paper and print production in 2008. Her work is cute and happy, specializing in (you guessed it!) wedding invitations and wedding banquet decoration. Marie’s happiness inspired me who at the time was stuck in an extremely boring, high strung and uninspiring legal industry. From our time together, I created and produced, with borrowed flower design elements, my first set of comprehensive wedding stationary items which included…
customized design and layout of DVD wedding program booklet/program
overview of all the wedding DVD program parts including case, program insert, DVD and booklet
wedding reception menu and favor tags
ceremony petal cones
ceremony reserved seating signage
It was because of this project that I was able to indulge again in my creative side after years of neglect. And for that opportunity, I have to thank my dear friend Marie for her encouragement.
Looking Ahead. I hope this blog entry gives you a brief glimpse into my life changing career experience and will help others who may be in the same position. It’s a bit of a bummer not making the 6 figure lawyer salary but the immense joy, freedom and satisfaction of doing something I love could never be replaced by any amount of money. I am incredibly happy with what I do now and look forward to taking on challenging design projects — something I wouldn’t have been able to say as a lawyer. It’s a blessing that I am thankful for every day. A look towards 2012 projects will include completing the USPTO application (crosses fingers), newborn photography as well as newborn related stationary (announcements, invitations etc). If I get the chance, I will try my best to throw in a deco design as requested by all you awesome Youtube fans.
Bottom line – it’s not always about the final product/take home salary that counts, but the journey and what you’ve learned in the process about yourself and others that is most useful in stimulating and keeping your passion burning. Moving ahead, the need to keep honing your craft, improving your skill set and learning about yourself and your industry is inevitable. This all though will be much easier when you immerse yourself in something you have a true passion for. Everyone has a unique, natural gift, whether it be artistic, analytic, physical etc — what is yours? =)
