How do I avoid Trademark Infringement?

People get excited about college basketball in the spring and a lot of businesses look for ways to piggyback traction off of well-known terms. Here's what you need to know:

1: Using a trademarked term (March Madness, Final Four, Super bowl, e.g.) on your banner could lead to litigation against you for suggesting a non-existent affiliation.

2: Visit http://www.uspto.gov/trademark .

3: Click on Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) and search any term.

4: If a search query returns a live trademarked term, do not use it in promotion!