You probably see the three major trademark symbols everywhere, but do you know what they mean? The ®, ™, and ℠ symbols might seem familiar, you likely seem them in superscript all the time. But the “TM symbol”, “SM symbol” and “R symbol” have different uses and afford different legal protections to intellectual property. You … Read more
Granted, the title above is oxymoronic (just to be clear, stealing is illegal), but it does point to an important truth. Even after your trademark application has been approved, people can challenge and steal your intellectual property, using legal means. The reasons this is possible is that approved trademarks do not come with absolute ownership. … Read more
When is the best time to file a trademark application? For young businesses that haven’t yet broken into the market, registering a trademark may seem like an expensive inconvenience. Why bother registering when your product is not ready? There is one good reason to register your trademark right away: delaying your application increases the risk … Read more
Quick answer: A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or logo that is used to brand, identify, and distinguish a product. A service mark (or servicemark) is a word, phrase, symbol, or logo that is used to brand, identify, and distinguish a service. While this might seem straightforward enough, there are a few intricacies to iron out and … Read more
Target has become ingrained in the American consciousness, with a whopping 75% of Americans living within 50 miles of a Target store, but that wasn’t always the case. Target began in the early 1960s when Dayton Company opened a discount store in Roseville, Minnesota. The founder of the Dayton Company (established in 1902), Douglas Dayton, … Read more
The Subway logo is bright green and yellow; those two colors emphasize the freshness and positive feelings the brand has tried to emphasize from its early days. Subway has a reputation as the “healthy” alternative in the fast-food universe, and its bright, dynamic logo is an important part of that image. Start of Subway In … Read more
To protect your brand, one of the first things that you should do is to trademark your logo, slogan, and/or name. You can do this by filing a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark office. Trademark applications can be filed online through the website of the USPTO. Before you file an application, … Read more
Protecting intellectual property and trademark registration is a major concern for entrepreneurs. Competition is stiff in nearly any market, and it takes only a few smart moves for slick competitors to steal a good idea and establish it as their own. Trademarks are one way for entrepreneurs to distinguish their products and establish a loyal … Read more
All businesses benefit from trademark registration. However, does it follow that all businesses should trademark their names? In many instances yes, companies should trademark their names as it provides additional protection at the federal level. But it is not necessarily the top priority for certain types of businesses, like startups that might prioritize other aspects of setting up … Read more
The sport industry is no stranger to trademark law. Successful athletes and universities have adopted strict policies in order to protect reasonable revenue streams from dilution or compromise. While the extent of registered marks between universities varies, Penn State rests among the more extensively defined of institutions with comparable licensing programs. In the process, the storied … Read more
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete is an American rapper known professionally as “Megan Thee Stallion”. Born on February 15th, 1995 in Houston, Texas, she first gained attention by freestyle rapping on social media. The rapper officially started her musical career by releasing SoundCloud-exclusive mixtapes in 2016 before making her solo debut with her first professional EP … Read more
Robyn Rihanna Fenty is known professionally as “Rihanna” and is a singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born February 20th, 1988 in Barbados, the singer rose to fame in the mid-2000s after auditioning for American record producer, Evan Rogers and signing with record label Def Jam in 2005. The singer released two albums, Music of the Sun … Read more
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, known professionally as simply “Beyoncé”, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. Not only is she known for her vocal talents, but the artist has become a cultural icon and one of the most influential women of the century. Born in 1981 in Houston Texas to salon owner, Tina Knowles and … Read more
Born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus, but known professionally as “Cardi B”, she is an American rapper, entertainer, and social media personality. Born October 11th, 1992, Cardi B grew up in Washington Heights, New York. Her father was Dominican and her mother was Trinidadian of African and Spanish descent. She attended Renaissance High School for Musical … Read more
Amazon.com, Inc is an American multinational technology company founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos. Simply known as “Amazon”, it was originally called “Cadabra” but because of branding issues was changed to Amazon within the first year. Starting from Bezos’ garage in Bellevue, Washington, the company has grown substantially and is now recognized as one of … Read more
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a North American professional ice hockey league, which is considered the top-ranked professional ice hockey league in the world. The league consists of 32 teams (25 from the United States and 7 from Canada). After the 1909 National Hockey Association (NHA) folded, the NHL was founded in Montreal in … Read more