Well first you mean 'apply for a trademark' let's assume. Because it can take anywhere from, say, 7 months to several years to get a trademark issued (I have go

Well first you mean 'apply for a trademark' let's assume. Because it can take anywhere from, say, 7 months to several years to get a trademark issued (I have gotten them in as little as 7 months). It's really a cost issue. If money is no object then there is little downside other than a) alerting people to what you are doing (tm apps are public) b) deciding if you will do it yourself or have an attorney do it for you. Creating a legal entity is a bit more involved. You can apply for a trademark, pay the nominal fee and assuming you do the application correctly (in the right class) etc. you can just simply abandon it later if you change your mind. You would only be out the fee. Not like state paperwork which is a bit more sticky. The date a trademark is put in use is important. So assuming you file as 1a and are using the mark getting it in early could have benefits. Blocking potential competitors and so on. If you are on a shoestring and have little money then it most likely doesn't pay to apply for the trademark and spend that money which you might need for other things.