Brand equity measures the value of the reputation of the company or its product. It is the aggregation of all of the positive characteristics and associations known about the company or a product. Brand equity has value as long as it is one of the drivers of future business of the company or product. Your company did not have any brand equity when it was founded, save for the reputation of the founders. Brand equity takes time, investment, and much effort to create and grow. A trademark is a registration that is filed as a form of insurance in an attempt to protect your asset from poachers. Trademark protection is a defensive corporate tactic. You require an attorney to legally register a claim or to protect a proprietary asset. You create brand equity as your company or product achieves a reputation or image. A trademark is a symbol or words chosen to represent that reputation or image.