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Ready to talk to someone about an intellectual property matter in Laurens? The form above connects you directly, no need to read everything below first.
Laurens at a glance
CeramTec North America lists its American headquarters at One Technology Place in Laurens. The company is a subsidiary of the German ceramics group CeramTec, and its page describes it as a maker of advanced ceramic products and of ceramic to metal seals sold under the Ceramaseal brand.
Step one: identify what you own
Begin with an inventory. Write down each product design, process, piece of software, written work and name or logo your business uses, and note who created it and when. South Carolina has a trademark register and a trade secret statute of its own. Add the agreements that cover work done for your business by employees, contractors and partner companies.
Step two: check what is registered
A South Carolina trademark or service mark is registered with the Secretary of State, and the mark has to be in use already before it can be registered. The application names the owner and the goods or services, gives the date the mark was first used anywhere and the date it was first used in South Carolina, and includes three specimens showing the mark as used. The Secretary of State’s trademark page is where those filings are made, and it says online filing is now available for all trademark and service mark filings. A state registration reaches no further than South Carolina and carries no federal protection; it puts a South Carolina record of the mark on file and supports a suit under the state act for infringement or counterfeiting. Protection under federal law comes from registering the mark under 15 U.S.C. 1051.
Business names are a separate matter. Corporations, nonprofit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships file with the Secretary of State through its online Business Filings system, while sole proprietorships and general partnerships do not file there. The Secretary of State does not register DBA or trade names, so ask an attorney how to check whether a name is already in use before you put money behind it.
Protecting your work in Laurens? Get matched with an attorney now.
Step three: know the court
Under 28 U.S.C. 121, Laurens County is in the Greenville Division of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the court’s pages list 250 East North Street, Greenville, SC 29601 for that division. A patent claim is filed in federal court and never in a state court (28 U.S.C. 1338(a)). An attorney should confirm the right court before anything is filed.
Step four: watch the clock
Patent damages reach back no further than the six years before the suit is filed (35 U.S.C. 286). A civil copyright claim has to be brought within three years after it accrued (17 U.S.C. 507(b)), and a United States work generally needs a registration, or a refusal of registration by the Copyright Office, before an infringement suit can be filed (17 U.S.C. 411(a)). Under the South Carolina Trade Secrets Act, a misappropriation claim must be brought within three years after the misappropriation was discovered or should have been discovered with reasonable diligence, and a continuing misappropriation counts as one claim (S.C. Code Ann. 39-8-70). A state trademark registration has a clock as well: it lasts five years, and a renewal for another five year period has to be filed within the six months before it expires.
Step five: protect secrets at work
The state’s trade secret statute covers information such as a formula, pattern, compilation, program, method, process, design or code, as long as it has economic value because it is not generally known or readily found out by proper means, and as long as its owner keeps it secret through reasonable efforts. Ask an attorney which steps would count as reasonable efforts for your kind of work. When the secret relates to a product or service used in, or intended for use in, interstate or foreign commerce, the federal trade secret statute at 18 U.S.C. 1836 lets the owner sue in federal court as well. South Carolina has no statute on employee noncompete agreements, courts decide them under case law and read them strictly, and an attorney should confirm the current rule before you sign or rely on one.
Was your work copied or your brand used without permission? Talk to an attorney in Laurens County.
Step six: use local help
The City of Laurens requires every business operating in the city to hold a business license, bought each year by April 30 and valid from May 1 to April 30, and the city’s permits and forms page is the place to start. That fits the statewide pattern, since business licenses in South Carolina are issued by the city or the county rather than by the Secretary of State. For planning help, the Clemson Region of the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers assigns Laurens County to its Greenwood Area office in Greenwood.
Step seven: local organizations to know
Piedmont Technical College operates a Center for Advanced Manufacturing at 109 Innovation Drive in Laurens, and the address appears in the college catalog’s list of campus locations. In a 2012 news item, the college said the training site included a CNC lab and a lab for precision measurement of parts. The Laurens County Development Corporation, which markets industrial sites and incentives for the county, keeps its office at 224 East Public Square in Laurens. A company weighing a move here should sort out which designs, processes and names it will bring before signing a lease.
Step eight: industry context
A release from the Governor’s office dated April 14, 2026 says the solar cell maker Suniva plans to lease a 620,000 square foot building at 1200 Commerce Blvd. in Laurens for its first South Carolina plant. The Governor’s release describes a planned investment of 350 million dollars and 564 planned jobs, with operations expected in 2027. Anyone in Laurens asked to sign an employment or supplier agreement can have an attorney read its confidentiality and ownership terms first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a new company in Laurens need a city business license?
Yes. The City of Laurens requires every business operating in the city to hold a business license, which is bought each year by April 30 and runs from May 1 to April 30. South Carolina has no statewide DBA or trade name register, and business licenses come from the city or the county, not from the Secretary of State.
Where is the closest small business development center for Laurens County?
The Clemson Region of the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers places Laurens County under its Greenwood Area office. That office is in Greenwood, not in Laurens itself.
Can I register a South Carolina trademark for a product I have not started selling?
Not until the mark is in use. South Carolina registers a trademark or service mark with the Secretary of State once the mark is already in use, and the application asks for the dates of first use anywhere and in South Carolina along with three specimens of the mark as used. Filings are made online, and an attorney can tell you whether a federal application under 15 U.S.C. 1051 suits your plans better.
What federal courthouse address does the court give for the Greenville Division?
Laurens County falls in the Greenville Division of the District of South Carolina under 28 U.S.C. 121, and the court’s pages list 250 East North Street, Greenville, SC 29601 for that division. An attorney should confirm the right court before anything is filed.
Is the Suniva solar plant in Laurens already running?
A release from the Governor’s office dated April 14, 2026 says Suniva plans to lease a building at 1200 Commerce Blvd. in Laurens for its first South Carolina plant, with operations expected in 2027.
Injury claims follow different rules, covered on our Laurens personal injury attorney page. Our coverage in this part of South Carolina also includes Clinton, Greenwood, and Mauldin. For the full list of South Carolina communities we serve, see our South Carolina intellectual property page.
Step nine: talk to an attorney
Before a first conversation, gather these items:
- The list of designs, processes, works and names from step one, with who created each and when.
- Any state or federal registrations, applications or business filings you already hold.
- Employment, contractor, confidentiality and supplier agreements that touch the work.
- The date you first noticed a problem, so the deadlines in step four can be checked.
With those papers ready, you can get matched with an intellectual property attorney.
