Valencia, CA
Quoted from TigerLaw:Moderator note: we’ve received many reports on this ad. Obviously this game is not Chris’ work, even the post identifies the restoration work as someone other than Chris though the OP is using the initials Chris has branded in our small little corner of the world. Some are saying the post violates a copyright or trademark...I’m not sure about that...if it violates something in the IP world it would be a service mark violation if Chris has one registered for HEP. If so, the protocol is for him to send us a take down notice of some kind.
Under U.S. law you do not need to register a mark with the USPTO to own it. Active use by itself in context of your business grants ownership as long as your ARE actively using it though you should add (™) after the name or “mark” to put others on notice. Registering a mark is largely unnecessary for fair use though most businesses (including ours) do it as a matter of process at some point.
If you are aware of another business operating in the same industry with such mark you should stay far away from using it.
