Sunday, July 16, 2023
What is a Trademark?
There are many ways to define trademarks.
A trademark is a sign that distinguishes the goods or services of one company from those of another. A trademark can be a word, phrase, logo, image, or combination. Trademarks protect brands and businesses’ investment in their brands.
Trademarks are distinctive words, names, and signs used to identify and distinguish a company’s products from those of the competition. Trademarks are badges of origin.
A commonly used synonym for a trademark is brand name. For example, COKE and PEPSI are trademarks (brand names) for soft drinks while FORD and BMW are trademarks for automobiles.
Trademarks are more than just names, however. The most common trademarks are words, logos, and phrases.
A trademark identifies a product from a single source. Customers don’t always need to know the name of the source, but they can know that products with the brand come from a single source.
Trademarks represent and protect brands and are often indicated by the trademark symbols TM, SM, and ®?.
LEARN MORE: An Easy Guide to Trademark Symbols
About Michael Kondoudis
For more than twenty years, Michael Kondoudis has been the go-to trademarking expert for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Michael is a USPTO-licensed trademark and patent attorney, educator, speaker, and author of the Amazon best-seller: Going From Business to Brand. He is also an authority trusted by national news media on major trademark stories involving NFTs and the Metaverse. For more information, visit www.mekiplaw.com.