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Who creates and owns ideas around Greer
BMW Group Plant Spartanburg carries another city’s name, yet the street address it gives for itself is 1400 Highway 101 S, Greer. The plant’s own page, current as of 2026, says BMW vehicles have been assembled there since 1994, with the X3, X5, X6, X7 and XM in production now, and that high voltage batteries have been assembled on site since 2015.
Mitsubishi Polyester Film, a manufacturing company of Mitsubishi Chemical, makes polyester film at its Greer facility under the Hostaphan name, and its pages give 2001 Hood Road, Greer as the address of the Polyester Film Division. In a release dated September 18, 2018, the company marked the completion and start up of a 100 million dollar investment at the Greer facility, an expansion that added a new film line.
A South Carolina Department of Commerce release dated October 17, 2011 described Honeywell’s Greer facility as a site that repairs and overhauls propulsion engines and components for commercial and military customers, particularly in aerospace. That release also called Greer the OEM source for more than 300 part numbers and said Honeywell first set up manufacturing in Greer in 1982. That description dates from 2011, and the work there today may differ.
MGA Research Corporation says its South Carolina laboratory in Greer opened in 2008 and gives automotive suppliers product testing such as materials, life cycle, airbag deployment and sled testing. The company said this in a post marking the lab’s 15th year, which places the description around 2023.
Registering a business and a name in South Carolina
The Secretary of State takes filings for corporations, nonprofit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships, and its business entities page points to the online Business Filings system for both filing and searching. A sole proprietorship or a general partnership makes no filing there. DBA and trade names are not registered by the Secretary of State either, which leaves South Carolina with no statewide assumed name filing. Business licenses come from a county or a city, so check with the city or the county about the license for your address.
A South Carolina trademark or service mark is registered with the Secretary of State, and the mark has to be in use already before registration is possible. The Secretary of State’s trademark page says online filing is now available for all trademark and service mark filings.
A state registration lasts five years, and the owner can renew it for further five year periods by filing the renewal within the six months before it expires (S.C. Code Ann. 39-15-1130). Its reach stops at the state line: it gives rights in South Carolina and no federal protection. Owners use it to place a South Carolina record of the mark on file and to sue under the state act for infringement or counterfeiting. Federal registration under 15 U.S.C. 1051 is the other route, and an attorney can explain how the two fit together.
Courts, clocks and the basics
The federal court’s county lists place Greer in two divisions. Under 28 U.S.C. 121, Greenville County is in the Greenville Division of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, and Spartanburg County is in the Spartanburg Division. For the Greenville Division the court’s pages list 250 East North Street, Greenville, SC 29601, and for the Spartanburg Division they list 201 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg, SC 29306. Those lists do not say where a particular dispute may be filed, and an attorney should confirm the court in any real matter.
Patent claims belong to the federal courts (28 U.S.C. 1338(a)). Infringement damages for a patent can be recovered for no more than the six years before the suit is filed (35 U.S.C. 286). Copyright owners get three years from the date a civil claim accrued to bring it (17 U.S.C. 507(b)), and a United States work generally must be registered, or refused registration by the Copyright Office, before anyone can sue for infringement (17 U.S.C. 411(a)).
The South Carolina Trade Secrets Act on the Legislature’s site requires a misappropriation claim to be brought within three years after the misappropriation is discovered or should have been discovered with reasonable diligence, and it treats a continuing misappropriation as one claim (S.C. Code Ann. 39-8-70). A separate federal claim exists under 18 U.S.C. 1836(b) when the secret relates to a product or service used in, or intended for use in, interstate or foreign commerce.
South Carolina has no statute on employee noncompete agreements, so courts decide them under case law and read them strictly against the employer, and an attorney should confirm the current rule.
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Local offices to know about
The Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce, at 111 Trade St., keeps pages for The Platform at Greer, which offers a selective two day workshop for founders. Cohorts meet in the spring and in the fall, and each cohort finishes by pitching to judges. Those pages also describe free networking for entrepreneurs on the first Thursday of each month, typically at Greer City Hall, 301 E. Poinsett St. Before pitching an unprotected invention or process, decide how much of it to reveal.
The Clemson Region of the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers offers free confidential consulting to small businesses. Its locations page lists a Greenville area serving Greenville County and a Spartanburg area serving Spartanburg County, and its contact page names their area centers as the University Center Greenville and the Spark Center.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which federal court division covers Greenville County and Spartanburg County?
Greenville County is listed in the Greenville Division and Spartanburg County in the Spartanburg Division of the District of South Carolina (28 U.S.C. 121), so the county lists place Greer in two divisions. The court’s pages give 250 East North Street, Greenville, SC 29601 for the first and 201 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg, SC 29306 for the second. Where a specific case may be filed is a question for an attorney.
Can I register a trade name for my Greer business with the state?
No. The South Carolina Secretary of State does not register DBA or trade names, and the state has no statewide assumed name filing. Business licenses are issued by a county or a city.
How long does a South Carolina trademark registration stay in force?
Five years from registration, renewable for further five year periods if each renewal is filed in the six months before expiration (S.C. Code Ann. 39-15-1130). The mark must be in use before it can be registered, and the registration gives rights in South Carolina only, without federal protection.
What does the Greer chamber offer people starting a business?
The Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce, at 111 Trade St., has pages for The Platform at Greer, which offers a selective two day founders workshop with spring and fall cohorts that end with a pitch to judges, plus free entrepreneur networking on the first Thursday of each month, typically at Greer City Hall.
How much time do I have to bring a trade secret claim in South Carolina?
Under the South Carolina Trade Secrets Act, a claim must be brought within three years after the misappropriation is discovered or reasonably should have been, and a continuing misappropriation counts as one claim (S.C. Code Ann. 39-8-70). An attorney can tell you when your own clock started.
For a personal injury rather than an intellectual property question, our Greer personal injury page explains the South Carolina rules. If your matter involved another town in the area, see our pages for Greenville, Mauldin, and Travelers Rest. You can browse every South Carolina city we cover in our South Carolina intellectual property attorney directory.
Start with a conversation
A first call goes further with a list of dates: when a product or process was developed, when a brand was first used anywhere and in South Carolina, when anything confidential was shown to someone outside the business, and when you signed any agreement with an employer, a customer or a supplier. If you work for one of the manufacturers in Greer or supply one, bring any confidentiality or invention assignment terms you have. For a wider view of the state, see South Carolina intellectual property attorneys. With those papers gathered, use the form on this page to get matched with an intellectual property attorney.
