Can you trademark a date?
You can trademark a date so long as you use the date as a brand name for your products or services, as trademarks can apply to any distinct words or phrases that are used in branding goods and services from a particular business.
For example, “AUGUST FIRST” is a registered trademark for bakery services. In this case, “AUGUST FIRST” serves as the bakery’s brand name and is present on all of their marketing materials, labels and signage.
Another company, Foster's, has trademarked their slogan "Foster's Since 1984". This seems to be the most common method business owners use when trademarking a date - as part of a slogan noting when they were established.
Applying for a trademark is a time consuming and potentially expensive endeavor, so we recommend that you have a trademark attorney perform a search of all available databases before you apply. There are currently a large number of dates registered as trademarks, and even more that fall into the category of common law trademarks. Any one of these could prevent your trademark from being approved.
If you're interested in trademarking a date, contact us today to speak with a trademark attorney.
About the Author
Xavier Morales, Esq.
Mr. Morales founded his trademark law practice in January 2007 with the goal of providing intellectual property expertise to entrepreneurs and businesses around the country. Since then, he has filed more than 6,000 trademarks with the USPTO. You can learn more about Xavier here.