John Martin Hilla

John Hilla is the managing attorney of Noble Path Legal PLLC in Livonia, Michigan, a boutique civil and transactional practice specializing in trademark registration, real estate transactions, business legal services, and consumer bankruptcy.

• Credit Cards Accepted

Michigan

Since 2006

Managing Attorney

Noble Path Legal PLLC

2008 - Current

Trademark registration, maintenance, and renewal, business and real estate transactional services, and consumer bankruptcy legal services.

The George Washington University Law School

LL.M | International & Comparative Law

2005 - 2006

Wayne State University Law School

J.D | Law

2002 - 2005

Wayne State University

B.A | English

1990 - 2000

Michigan State Bar  # 69128

Member

Current

Am I Responsible for my Fiancee's Debt After Marriage?

The Detroit Legal News

February, 2009

The Literary Effect of Sovereignty in International Law

The Widener Law Review

November, 2008

The US Invasion of Iraq and Popular Consent in the Formation of Customary International Law

The Michigan International Lawyer

2005

Draft Commentary for Art. 479 of the Provisional Kosovo Criminal Procedure Code

US State Department in conjunction with George Washington University

December, 2005

Q. Do I need to trademark both my LLC name and slogan?

August 4, 2025

A: Usually, the answer to this question is "Yes," but it depends upon your LLC name, your intent as to its use in trade, and the extent to which consumers of your goods or services are even presented with the LLC's name, as opposed to a trade name, product name, or slogan/advertising phrase/tag-line. If the LLC exists as a sort of intellectual property or other holding entity, it may not be your first priority. And, as always, a term must be sufficiently unique that consumers identify the name or term with your company as the source of the goods or services it produces.

The slogan should be registered if used AS a trademark (as a brand or as a means of identifying a product or service as having been produced by your company to consumers), but a slogan simply used decoratively on the front of clothing may be rejected by the USPTO as being "merely ornamental." The slogan must be used as a trademark, in short.

That said, generally, going concerns will register all trademarks in use with the USPTO: business name, product names, slogans, logos. But you will want to schedule a consultation with an experienced trademark attorney to devise the best intellectual property and brand protection strategy specific to your circumstances and your business. ... Read More

Q. Hello I need to REFILE my trademark BODIED help

April 26, 2022

A: It is not quite clear whether you are seeking to re-file a rejected trademark registration application or file a renewal of an existing registration, but, either way, you should seek the advice of a US trademark lawyer for your best options.

A trademark attorney will discuss your options (particularly if you've had a registration refused already) with you in detail in a private consultation setting that is designed to protect your confidential information and to move your trademark registration application forward to a successful conclusion.

Many US trademark attorneys provide virtual consultations to make it easy for you to reach out, within the convenience of your own scheduling needs. ... Read More

Q. I am about to start a new tabletop rpg game. Do I need to register a company or trademark it is enough?

April 17, 2022

A: Hello from a longtime tabletop rpg player! I've had the pleasure of knowing and gaming with some of the leading names in gaming going back to the early 80s. This is one of my favorite topics, and the answer to your question is—both.

A company is registered through the filing of your articles of incorporation or other formation documents with your state. If you are forming a corporation or LLC or other entity (as opposed to a DBA), this action creates your entity, locks down the name for use IN your state so that no one else can form a company with that same name, and allows you to obtain an EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account, and so on. All within your state.

None of that stops anyone from using your company name to sell RPG instruction manuals, books, dice, or other gaming accessories in some other state. If someone else in another starts a tabletop RPG publishing company (or any other kind of gaming-related enterprise) using your same or a confusingly similar name, the registration of your company as an entity within your state will not stop them from doing so.

Trademark registration is what does that.

One of the first steps that a company should take in its formational branding process is to consult a trademark lawyer in a private consultation setting to discuss its proposed name and brand and discuss the requirements for Federal trademark registration. If the name proves to be unregistrable as a trademark, you don't want to find that out after launching your product, website, and marketing efforts.

A trademark lawyer will run a professional clearance search to ensure that no one else is using name (or logo, or slogan, etc.), and then will assist you with the registration process.

Trademark registration allows you to ensure that you alone have the right of exclusive use of your name and brand anywhere in the US. It allows you to sue for infringement in Federal court, to block have US Custom block the import of infringing product, and will guarantee the strength of your brand and the value of your business for the life of the enterprise. ... Read More