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Trademarks: Home

What are trademarks? How are they created? How are they lost?

Trademark Symbols

Trademark symbol     Registered trademark symbol

What is a trademark?

From the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)"

"A trademark can be any word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination of these things that identifies your goods or services. It’s how customers recognize you in the marketplace and distinguish you from your competitors.

The word “trademark” can refer to both trademarks and service marks. A trademark is used for goods, while a service mark is used for services.

A trademark:

  • Identifies the source of your goods or services.
  • Provides legal protection for your brand.
  • Helps you guard against counterfeiting and fraud."

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property includes any cration of the human mind which can be sold or assigned.

Under United State law, the four types of intellectual property are:

  • Copyright - The expression of an idea in a fixed form. Can include written works, art, music, computer software, etc. The copyright holder has exclusive rights to sell, reproduce perform or adapt the work.
  • Patents - A useful invention, decorative design, or cultivated plant. The patent holder has a monopoly on the manufacture or sale of the invention.
  • Trade secrets - Inventions whose details are kept secret. Stealing trade secrets is illegal; reverse engineering them is not.
  • Trademarks and Service Marks - Trademarks identify the source of a good or service which is in commerce.