Patents and Trademarks

[gregrafuse]

Hi,

I am new to youngentrepreneur.com and I am looking for some advice on patents and trademarks. Specifically, I am in the process of developing a nutritional supplement to be used for muscle building and energy. I am planning to patent and/or trademark a custom formulation in my product so that I can market it more uniquely and avoid being duplicated by competitors. I don't know the slightest about patents and trademarks just yet, so I am hoping someone can guide me in the right direction of how to do this, what's the most economical way, etc.

I have already established an LLC for my business, but have not decided on a trade name for the product yet.

Thanks in advance!

[akula]

yikes...this has FDA written all over it.
have you got clearance/exemption?

[gregrafuse]

Good thought and question, akula. Thanks for the reply. I haven't gotten any clearance or exemption from the FDA and to be honest... didn't know that I needed to. I am planning to use ingredients that are already out on the market, just potentially in a different formulation. I guess any potential FDA issues would be something I would also need to discuss with an attorney...

Does anyone know much about products out there already that aren't FDA approved? I know there are many of them and I believe as long as disclaimers are included to that effect, they can still be sold. I could be wrong though... suggestions?