- published: 09 Dec 2014
- views: 5750
The trademark symbol, in Unicode U+2122 ™ trade mark sign (HTML: ™
™
), is a symbol used to provide notice that the preceding mark is a trademark. Use of this symbol does not mean that the trademark has federal registration, however such a trademark may have state registration. Federally registered trademarks are indicated using the registered trademark symbol (®). Although anyone can use the ™ symbol, infringing on an state registered trademark or unregistered trademark may still result in severe civil liabilities.
The service mark symbol, ℠, has a similar function and denotation.
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities.
A trademark may be designated by the following symbols:
A trademark is typically a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, design, image, or a combination of these elements. There is also a range of non-conventional trademarks comprising marks which do not fall into these standard categories, such as those based on color, smell, or sound.
The owner of a trademark may initiate legal proceedings for trademark infringement to prevent unauthorized use of that trademark. Most countries require formal registration of a trademark in order to pursue this type of action. A few countries, including the United States, recognize common law trademark rights, which means action can be taken for trademark that is in use but not registered. In the United States, registration is not required, but it increases the legal protections offered to the trademark holder.