Can I Trademark a Religious Symbol?
Yes, you may trademark a religious symbol so long as the mark does not consist of, or comprise, matter that may disparage, bring into contempt or disrepute persons, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols.
For example, the courts have held that when the application of a mark to a product would offend the sensibilities of a religious group, the mark should be refused on the basis that the matter is disparaging to the members of the group.
If you utilize a religious symbol to brand a product or service in a way that is not offensive or insulting to the religion which it represents, you will be allowed to trademark it. If you successfully trademark a religious symbol, the legal protection will only serve to prevent your competitors from using the religious symbol in a way that would cause consumers to be confused as to where the goods or services are coming from. The trademark would not prevent individuals from using the symbol in non-competitive ways, nor would it prevent the associated religion from using the symbol in worship.
As a number of trademarks exist for religious symbols, we advise you to contact us so that a licensed trademark attorney may perform a trademark search to verify its availability for you.
Further Reading
You may also be interested in on explanation on if you can trademark a church name.
The Trademark Process
More Common Trademark Questions
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.