Miller eMedia launches $28 trademark course for small businesses

Brand Story Bruce, a subsidiary of Miller eMedia, has introduced a low-cost video course to help shoestring startups and cottage businesses file for trademark protection without hiring a lawyer. The course arrives as more brands sell online, where trademark conflicts are more likely and brand protection matters more.

Why it matters: - Small businesses that sell online face a higher risk of brand conflicts than local-only businesses. - A lower-cost trademark course could make federal protection more accessible for startups that cannot afford legal fees. - Trademark protection can help businesses avoid disputes over names, logos and brand use.

What happened: - Brand Story Bruce, a subsidiary of Miller eMedia, launched a step-by-step video course for business owners who want to trademark their brands. - The course is priced at $28. - The company positioned the course as a guide for shoestring startups and cottage businesses that want to handle the filing process themselves.

The details: - The course walks users through the USPTO trademark filing process. - Lessons cover performing a trademark search, understanding classes, selecting a description from the Trademark ID Manual, preparing a specimen, submitting the application and maintaining the trademark. - The course includes a feature called Spectrum of Trademarkability, which helps businesses determine whether a brand can be trademarked. - The package also includes a bonus course called The Name Game, which helps new businesses choose a web-ready brand name that can likely be trademarked. - Bruce Miller said he created the course after his mother, Nan Miller, faced a trademark dispute over her Los Angeles PR agency name with another Nan Miller in Chicago. - Miller said a $350 filing fee could have prevented that lawsuit. - Miller eMedia says the company brings 30 years of corporate and agency experience to brand development and e-media production.

Between the lines: - The course is aimed at founders who need structure more than legal advice, but the release still signals that an attorney is the safer option when a budget allows. - The emphasis on web-ready names reflects how online commerce has changed the value of a brand before a company even scales. - The product also suggests a broader market for self-service legal-adjacent tools as small businesses look to cut startup costs.

What's next: - Business owners can use the course to prepare a trademark application before deciding whether to hire an attorney. - The company also promotes its brand strategy, content development, web strategy and brand video services alongside the course. - More information is available on Bruce Miller's LinkedIn profile.

The bottom line: - Miller eMedia is betting that affordable, guided trademark filing will appeal to small businesses trying to protect a brand without paying for full legal representation.