This team prepared me to take my invention to market. They told me that having a patent wouldn't make a product successful. Success would only come from making a better whistle and marketing it more aggressively than the competition. It was simple yet sound advice. But I soon learned that I also needed trademark protection.
Patents have an expiry date and others can patent or introduce similar patents.
Trademarks, however, are yours and provide greater protection against new products. Products are recognized by their name, and as the product becomes more popular so does the value of the trademark. I have never had a customer call me and order two-dozen of a specific patent number. I needed to protect the name. My team had prepared me for this phase of our development and had filed trademarks in all the markets where we would be doing business.