A trademark business meaning [Expert Guide]

Last updated : Aug 3, 2022

What is an example trademark?

It could even be a sound, a scent, or a color. Some registered trademarks you may recognize include: FORD LOGO for "automobiles." DOMINO'S LOGO for "hot pizza pies."

Why would a business use a trademark?

Trademarking is an important step for protecting your brand identity. It will stop competitors from poaching your customers by imitating your brand. It can also offer you some protection if those copycats do something reputation-damaging.

What are the 3 types of trademarks?

What you'll learn: Arbitrary and Fanciful Trademarks. Suggestive Trademarks. Descriptive Trademarks.

How does a trademark work?

A trademark is generally a word, phrase, symbol, or design, or a combination thereof, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. A service mark is the same as a trademark, except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than goods.

Who needs a trademark?

Business owners that have a distinctive business name, motto, logo, slogan, symbol to represent their product, service or business may want to consider registering it as a trademark from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, a federal agency, and/or a similar state agency.

Who does a trademark protect?

A trademark typically protects brand names and logos used on goods and services. A copyright protects an original artistic or literary work. A patent protects an invention.

Is trademark a good idea?

A registered trademark carries a legal presumption that you have a right to use your mark nationally and prevent others from using it. As Anchor Brewing Co. demonstrated, this can be a powerful tool if you feel another company is infringing your mark.

Why do you trademark a name?

Names hold power in business. So establishing ownership of and rights to a business name is an important step for businesses that want to ensure a name remains one-of-a-kind. Registering a trademark helps protect a name or brand from intellectual property theft or misuse as a business grows.

How long does a trademark last?

A federal trademark lasts 10 years from the date of registration, with 10-year renewal terms. Between the fifth and sixth year after the registration date, the registrant must file an affidavit to state that the mark is still in use.

What does a trademark protect?

A trademark is a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one enterprise from those of other enterprises. Trademarks are protected by intellectual property rights.

Can you make money off a trademark?

But registering a trademark isn't just an opportunity for entrepreneurs to preserve all of their hard work from getting used by another company – it's another way to make money too. Some trademarks are worth billions. Google's trademark value totals a whopping $44.3 billion. Microsoft's comes in at $42.8 billion.

What are the benefits of registering a trademark?

• A Federal Trademark Registration Protects Against Infringement.
• A Federal Trademark Registration Provides Nationwide Validity.
• A Federal Trademark Registration is a Valuable Asset.
• Unique Trademarks Helps Customers Find You.

Do I need to trademark my business name?

There's no legal requirement for you to register a trademark. Using a business name can give you 'common law' rights, even without formally registering it.

What is the most famous trademark?

• Amazon – 416 Billion Dollars.
• Apple – 352 Billion Dollars.
• Microsoft – 327 Billion Dollars.
• Google – 324 Billion Dollars.
• Visa – 187 Billion Dollars.
• Alibaba – 153 Billion Dollars.
• Tencent – 151 Billion Dollars.
• Facebook – 147 Billion Dollars.

What happens if someone trademark your business name?

Trademark Registration Then, the owner can face a lawsuit for using the same name as someone else even if the second party registered a trademark for the company after the first owner created the company. These situations usually require the services of a lawyer to both understand and pursue.

How do trademarks protect a business?

A trademark prevents anyone else from selling similar goods and services within the United States under that business name. The primary purpose of trademarks is to prevent confusion in the marketplace, so the protection applies to only a particular category of goods and services.

How many trademarks can a company have?

Only one mark per application It should come as no surprise that one trademark application can cover only one mark. In other words, you may not register multiple trademarks in a single application.

What should be trademarked?

A phrase, word, symbol, device, or even a color are all eligible for a trademark. Anything that distinguishes the goods of your party or company from another qualifies.

What are the types of trademark?

• Product Mark. Product mark is a mark that is used on a good or on a product rather than on a service.
• Service Mark. Service mark is similar to the product mark but a service mark is used to represent a service rather than a product.
• Collective Mark.
• Certification Mark.
• Shape Mark.
• Pattern Mark.
• Sound Mark.

What is a strong trademark?

Strong trademarks are typically creative or unique, setting you apart from your competitors. These trademarks include fanciful, arbitrary, or suggestive trademarks. Fanciful trademarks are invented words. They only have meaning in relation to their goods or services.

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Write a comment

so what is a trademark a trademark is a way of legally claiming your name and your logo so they are legally yours and no one else can use them to misappropriate your music now just because you got there first and you have the socials and you have the domain name that doesn't mean that they are legally yours whilst you are still using them this is about ownership and that's where the trademark comes in now this means you can trademark the name if you're an artist or a band but also you can trademark your logo so if you've got an amazing logo or an amazing band name no one else can use it let's say your rage against the machine or the grateful dead or coldplay nobody else can legally claim that name and let's face it that's not the real reason why no one's claiming the name coldplay

Thanks for your comment Alexis Shindledecker, have a nice day.
- Ira Opperman, Staff Member

people when they have a product get confused as to how trademark works a trademark is simply an identification of the source of goods or services it's not the product itself is the source of a product for example Tide laundry detergent tide is the maker of the laundry detergent it's not the actual detergent itself although often trademarks people come to identify them so closely with the product they may substitute the name of the trademark for the product but it's supposed to be a brand and represent the source you obtain trademark rights from actual use in commerce or by registering your trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office you can register your trademark what's called an intent to use or ITU trademark application before you have any sales when you've just thought of your idea for a name for example many times people register their trademarks in advance before they their product is fully developed or before they're ready to do sales in fact people will often check online on the intent to use trademarks because they are publicly available publicly available to see what other companies are doing in fact the Apple stores were known before app will announce them because they had several trademarks on file for intent to use for Apple Store and other names related to the store it's a good way to keep a track of what your competitors are doing the best trademarks that you can make or file for our arbitrary and don't have anything to do with the product itself for example Apple is associated with computers now but it an apple itself has nothing to do with computers kodak associated with film very strongly but kodak was a made-up word that the creator of the trademark felt had a strong name and strong sound and so used that as a trademark a trademark such as microsoft all the world-famous trademark is not the strongest trademark because there are a lot of companies that have micro blank or blank soft in their titles because it's not arbitrary it really is associated with product itself so if you are going to have a trademark for your company you can do it in advance and you should think of a name that is arbitrary and doesn't describe the product so closely

Thanks Melissa your participation is very much appreciated
- Ira Opperman

About the author

Ira Opperman

I've studied electronic media at Missouri Valley College in Marshall and I am an expert in philosophy of economics. I usually feel bittersweet. My previous job was computer customer support specialist I held this position for 19 years, I love talking about radio-controlled model collecting and composting. Huge fan of Missy Elliott I practice bobsleigh and collect disneyana.