Trademark Logo
displaying a trademark logo

Trademark Logo: A distinctive word, design or graphic symbol, or combination word and design, that distinguishes and identifies goods and services.

Originally, a trademark logo was used to identify products only. However, over the years the uses for trademarks have grown to include identification of organizations, corporations, companies, institutions, and services. Designed correctly, a trademark logo can be an extremely powerful tool - 95% of the people in the U.S. would be able to immediately recognize the McDonald's trademark logo. In fact, more people probably know the McDonald's trademark than the name of the President. The main purpose of a trademark logo is to identify an organization, product or service. Quite often a trademark can mean the difference between success and failure.

Because of the power that is associated with logos, it has become necessary to regulate them. In order to protect a successful logo from being stolen or closely copied by another organization, it may be registered with the U.S. Patent Office. A U.S. Patent Office registration gives a logo a legal right to exist and protects the design from being stolen or closely copied for a period of twenty years.

If you want to claim the rights of a name or logo, use the TM (trademark) or SM (service mark) designation to give notice to the public about your claim. This use of the TM or SM Trademark Logo does not mean a legally enforceable trademark.

The registration symbol, ®, however, does carry legal weight. It may only be used when the mark is registered in the PTO. The ® symbol may be used only after the registration has been approved by the U.S. trademark office.

• What names can be trademarked?



• Why get a Trademark?