Actual for You
#1 in Business Subscribe Email Print

You are here: Home > Business > Branding > Use It or Lose It: Guidelines for Proper Trademark Use

Tags

  • restaurant
  • seeking
  • price fixing
  • trademark officeit
  • marktrademarks should

  • Links

  • Once You Go VoIP, You Never Go Back!
  • Canadian Issues Over Global Warming and Clear Cutting?
  • Resilience: The Key to a Successful Today and Tomorrow
  • Actual for You - Use It or Lose It: Guidelines for Proper Trademark Use

    Test You Residential Construction Estimating Know How
    Estimating a residential construction job is very different from a commercial job. Often the contractor is frustrated with collecting data to create an estimate that is low enough for them to win the bid and high enough for them to make a profit.before a contractor even begins the project it is a good idea for him or her to look at the area that will be built upon to make sure that there are no environmental hazards, or that there are no structures that may have to be taken down. These factors not only cause delays, they can cost additional money.when a contractor is creating an estimate he or she must take into consideration create a quote for
    ng the symbols TM, SM, or ®. The TM symbol is used to identify an unregistered trademark, while the SM symbol is used to identify an unregistered service mark. Use of the TM or SM symbol does not imply that a trademark application has been filed; it simply means that the term is claimed as a trademark. On the other hand, the ® symbol is used to identify a trademark or service mark that has been registered with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Thus, the ® symbol should be used only in connection with a registered mark. Alternatively, there are other proper forms of notice for registered trademarks, including: “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.” and “Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”

    It should be noted that use of a statutor

    Make Your Office Look And Feel Great - With Wood
    There are few things that oozes with class, professionalism and charisma as wood. That wonderful gleam of polished wood adds an exquisite touch to your office while creating a lavish atmosphere ... an ambience that is perfectly suited for the modern office.Wooden wall paneling and furniture for the office have to be chosen with some care so as to create the most appropriate work atmosphere that is very comfortable as well. Wood for use in office may be chosen from mainly four types ....Rosewood : A brown colored wood supplemented with a beautiful red hue.Mahogany : A kind of rosewood that has a dark tone. This is very well suited to creat
    Once obtained, trademark rights can last indefinitely. However, in order to protect and maintain these rights, a trademark owner must properly use their mark. It is important to remember that trademark rights are based on use. Thus, failure to use a mark properly or to prevent others from misusing or infringing a mark can result in an owner’s loss of trademark rights. The following guidelines for proper trademark use apply to advertising, correspondence, promotional material, displays, labels, packaging, signs, web sites, and any other media that uses, discusses, or describes the mark.

    A. Use Proper Trademark Grammar

    The most important rule of grammar regarding proper trademark use is that a trademark should be used as an adjective, not a noun or verb. Using the mark as an adjective helps distinguish the mark from the generic term it modifies. After all, a mark is used to identify the source or brand of a product, not the product itself. It is important to follow this rule to prevent your mark from potentially becoming considered generic. Examples of proper use include: KLEENEX ®tissue; APPLE® computer; and JACUZZI® hot tub. Note that each mark (adjective) is used to modify the generic term (noun). In fact, since trademarks function as adjectives, they should always be accompanied by the correct generic name for the product or service.

    Other rules of grammar important to proper trademark use include avoiding the use of a trademark in the plural or possessive form. When referring to more than one trademarked product, do not pluralize the trademark. Instead, use the plural form of the generic product to which you are referring. For example, it would be incorrect to say “Could you pass me some kleenexes so I can blow my nose?” The correct statement should be “Could you pass me some KLEENEX® tissues so I can blow my nose?” Likewise, trademarks should not be made possessive. Rather, the generic product name should be made possessive. For example, it is improper to use “I really like Febreze’s fresh scent.” The correct use of the mark should be “I really like the Febreze® air freshener’s fresh scent.”

    B. Distinguish Your Mark

    Trademarks should stand out from surrounding text. This helps to further distinguish the trademark from ordinary descriptive or generic terms. There are numerous ways to present a trademark to make it stand out. A non-exhaustive list of examples includes:

    All capitals: VASELINE® petroleum jelly
    Initial capitals: Kleenex® tissue
    Quotation marks: “Channellock” ® pliers
    Italics: Life Savers® candy
    Boldface: Pizza Hut® restaurant
    Use of the word “brand”: Scotch® brand and transparent tape.

    C. Identify Your Mark as a Trademark

    There are several ways to indicate to the public that you are using your mark as a trademark or service mark. The most common way that trademark owner’s put others on notice that they are using a mark as a trademark or service mark is by using the symbols TM, SM, or ®. The TM symbol is used to identify an unregistered trademark, while the SM symbol is used to identify an unregistered service mark. Use of the TM or SM symbol does not imply that a trademark application has been filed; it simply means that the term is claimed as a trademark. On the other hand, the ® symbol is used to identify a trademark or service mark that has been registered with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Thus, the ® symbol should be used only in connection with a registered mark. Alternatively, there are other proper forms of notice for registered trademarks, including: “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.” and “Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”

    It should be noted that use of a statutory

    Why Conventional Ads Suck...
    If you're in concurrence with over 90% of all business owners—Ads don't work! They're expensive, a low ROI, and all they do is fuel ad agencies to churn out more ridiculous rubbish.So why do most ads fail to bring in sales?Simple. If you browse the ads in your local paper, just about all of them talk about themselves:This is our business name; This is our logo; This is what we do; This is how long we've been in business; This is our product/service; and then usually, Call us now so we can sell you something. Yeesh!This is nothing more than making announcements. Just like scanning the Yellow Pages. And th
    e, not a noun or verb. Using the mark as an adjective helps distinguish the mark from the generic term it modifies. After all, a mark is used to identify the source or brand of a product, not the product itself. It is important to follow this rule to prevent your mark from potentially becoming considered generic. Examples of proper use include: KLEENEX ®tissue; APPLE® computer; and JACUZZI® hot tub. Note that each mark (adjective) is used to modify the generic term (noun). In fact, since trademarks function as adjectives, they should always be accompanied by the correct generic name for the product or service.

    Other rules of grammar important to proper trademark use include avoiding the use of a trademark in the plural or possessive form. When referring to more than one trademarked product, do not pluralize the trademark. Instead, use the plural form of the generic product to which you are referring. For example, it would be incorrect to say “Could you pass me some kleenexes so I can blow my nose?” The correct statement should be “Could you pass me some KLEENEX® tissues so I can blow my nose?” Likewise, trademarks should not be made possessive. Rather, the generic product name should be made possessive. For example, it is improper to use “I really like Febreze’s fresh scent.” The correct use of the mark should be “I really like the Febreze® air freshener’s fresh scent.”

    B. Distinguish Your Mark

    Trademarks should stand out from surrounding text. This helps to further distinguish the trademark from ordinary descriptive or generic terms. There are numerous ways to present a trademark to make it stand out. A non-exhaustive list of examples includes:

    All capitals: VASELINE® petroleum jelly
    Initial capitals: Kleenex® tissue
    Quotation marks: “Channellock” ® pliers
    Italics: Life Savers® candy
    Boldface: Pizza Hut® restaurant
    Use of the word “brand”: Scotch® brand and transparent tape.

    C. Identify Your Mark as a Trademark

    There are several ways to indicate to the public that you are using your mark as a trademark or service mark. The most common way that trademark owner’s put others on notice that they are using a mark as a trademark or service mark is by using the symbols TM, SM, or ®. The TM symbol is used to identify an unregistered trademark, while the SM symbol is used to identify an unregistered service mark. Use of the TM or SM symbol does not imply that a trademark application has been filed; it simply means that the term is claimed as a trademark. On the other hand, the ® symbol is used to identify a trademark or service mark that has been registered with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Thus, the ® symbol should be used only in connection with a registered mark. Alternatively, there are other proper forms of notice for registered trademarks, including: “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.” and “Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”

    It should be noted that use of a statutor

    Indian Textiles
    Indian textile tradition is the world's oldest textile tradition. The origin of indian textile can be traced back to the days of indus valley civilisation. Rigveda, the earliest of the Veda contains the literary information about textiles and it refers to weaving. Ramayana and Mahabharata, the eminent Indian epics depict the existence of wide variety of fabrics in ancient India. These epics refer both to rich and stylized garment worn by the aristocrats and ordinary simple clothes worn by the common people. The fragments of cotton material originating from gujarat found in the egyptian tombs support that discovery. There are occasional comments about the text
    m. When referring to more than one trademarked product, do not pluralize the trademark. Instead, use the plural form of the generic product to which you are referring. For example, it would be incorrect to say “Could you pass me some kleenexes so I can blow my nose?” The correct statement should be “Could you pass me some KLEENEX® tissues so I can blow my nose?” Likewise, trademarks should not be made possessive. Rather, the generic product name should be made possessive. For example, it is improper to use “I really like Febreze’s fresh scent.” The correct use of the mark should be “I really like the Febreze® air freshener’s fresh scent.”

    B. Distinguish Your Mark

    Trademarks should stand out from surrounding text. This helps to further distinguish the trademark from ordinary descriptive or generic terms. There are numerous ways to present a trademark to make it stand out. A non-exhaustive list of examples includes:

    All capitals: VASELINE® petroleum jelly
    Initial capitals: Kleenex® tissue
    Quotation marks: “Channellock” ® pliers
    Italics: Life Savers® candy
    Boldface: Pizza Hut® restaurant
    Use of the word “brand”: Scotch® brand and transparent tape.

    C. Identify Your Mark as a Trademark

    There are several ways to indicate to the public that you are using your mark as a trademark or service mark. The most common way that trademark owner’s put others on notice that they are using a mark as a trademark or service mark is by using the symbols TM, SM, or ®. The TM symbol is used to identify an unregistered trademark, while the SM symbol is used to identify an unregistered service mark. Use of the TM or SM symbol does not imply that a trademark application has been filed; it simply means that the term is claimed as a trademark. On the other hand, the ® symbol is used to identify a trademark or service mark that has been registered with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Thus, the ® symbol should be used only in connection with a registered mark. Alternatively, there are other proper forms of notice for registered trademarks, including: “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.” and “Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”

    It should be noted that use of a statutor

    Air Freight Forwarding Companies Involved In Price Fixing
    A worldwide investigation has been launched into alleged fuel price fixing by the air freight forwarding industry. Eleven major freight carrying airlines are being accused of trying to fix fuel price surcharges for freight forwarding flights. Amongst the airlines being accused of price fixing are British Airways, United Airlines and Lufthansa.The airlines are being sued for fuel price fixing by a Tanzanian firm which had used KLM as a freight forwarding company to transport wood carvings to New York.The company, Sisimizi which is based in Dar-Es-Salaam in Tanzania, is seeking unspecified damages from a number of major airlines whic
    her distinguish the trademark from ordinary descriptive or generic terms. There are numerous ways to present a trademark to make it stand out. A non-exhaustive list of examples includes:

    All capitals: VASELINE® petroleum jelly
    Initial capitals: Kleenex® tissue
    Quotation marks: “Channellock” ® pliers
    Italics: Life Savers® candy
    Boldface: Pizza Hut® restaurant
    Use of the word “brand”: Scotch® brand and transparent tape.

    C. Identify Your Mark as a Trademark

    There are several ways to indicate to the public that you are using your mark as a trademark or service mark. The most common way that trademark owner’s put others on notice that they are using a mark as a trademark or service mark is by using the symbols TM, SM, or ®. The TM symbol is used to identify an unregistered trademark, while the SM symbol is used to identify an unregistered service mark. Use of the TM or SM symbol does not imply that a trademark application has been filed; it simply means that the term is claimed as a trademark. On the other hand, the ® symbol is used to identify a trademark or service mark that has been registered with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Thus, the ® symbol should be used only in connection with a registered mark. Alternatively, there are other proper forms of notice for registered trademarks, including: “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.” and “Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”

    It should be noted that use of a statutor

    Medical Billing For Critical Illness
    It is highly probable that every person would suffer some form of critical illness at one point or other. Would you have enough money to cover lost income and pay for medical billing and other related rehabilitation costs? The general high cost of healthcare is another important factor.It has often been said that with current advanced medical technology, people are expected to live longer. So, to sustain oneself and pay for medical billing, critical illness insurance is necessary.Many people are now surviving the ravages of a dreaded disease, but in the process of seeking treatment, the medical billing leaves them financially ruined. This wo
    ng the symbols TM, SM, or ®. The TM symbol is used to identify an unregistered trademark, while the SM symbol is used to identify an unregistered service mark. Use of the TM or SM symbol does not imply that a trademark application has been filed; it simply means that the term is claimed as a trademark. On the other hand, the ® symbol is used to identify a trademark or service mark that has been registered with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Thus, the ® symbol should be used only in connection with a registered mark. Alternatively, there are other proper forms of notice for registered trademarks, including: “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.” and “Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”

    It should be noted that use of a statutory notice is not required. However, to collect damages and profits in an infringement suit brought under the Lanham Act, statutory notice or the defendant’s actual notice of plaintiff’s registration is required.

    D. Be Consistent

    Trademarks should be used consistently. Variations on how the mark is presented should be avoided. Failure to use a mark consistently can result in consumer confusion or dilute the distinctiveness of the mark. On the other hand, using a mark the same way every time will enhance the distinctiveness, and thus, the consumer’s recognition of the mark.

    Conclusion

    The guidelines set forth above are by no means inflexible. However, by following the rules of proper use it will be much less likely that a trademark is used improperly. Furthermore, adhering to these rules is likely to increase consumer awareness that a term is being used as a trademark. Thus, a trademark owner should ensure that their marks are properly used, or else run the risk of losing their rights.

    © 2006, Gallagher & Dawsey Co., LPA November 2006

    DISCLAIMER

    We hope you understand that we cannot possibly give accurate legal advice to all inventors in a brief article on intellectual property issues that should be considered when starting a business. Accordingly, nothing in the above is intended as specific legal advice to any person. Such legal advice can only be given by a qualified practitioner after a careful review of all the individual facts. We urge you to consult us, or another licensed professional, before you proceed.

    HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
    <a href="http://www.actual4u.com/article/7666/actual4u-Use-It-or-Lose-It-Guidelines-for-Proper-Trademark-Use.html">Use It or Lose It: Guidelines for Proper Trademark Use</a>

    BB link (for phorums):
    [url=http://www.actual4u.com/article/7666/actual4u-Use-It-or-Lose-It-Guidelines-for-Proper-Trademark-Use.html]Use It or Lose It: Guidelines for Proper Trademark Use[/url]

    Related Articles:

    Why Your Cleaning Company Should Buy From Janitorial Distributors

    Seeking Grant Proposals for Your Fundraiser

    Get Better Results from Your Advertising with a Disruptor

    Bookmark it: del.icio.us digg.com reddit.com netvouz.com google.com yahoo.com technorati.com furl.net bloglines.com socialdust.com ma.gnolia.com newsvine.com slashdot.org simpy.com shadows.com blinklist.com