Common trademarks examples

This news article is one example of the brand being treated as a generic term. Airshow In-flight entertainment moving map Collins Aerospace, formerly Rockwell Collins : Not commonly used worldwide. Aqua : Mineral water : Danone : Common in Indonesia as a genericized mark for any mineral water. They might be used generically by consumers but cannot be used by their competitors. A company’s name, a sporting team’s mascot and famous singer’s lyrics are all considered trademarks.

To better understand the different types of trademarks, I have compiled a list of five classic examples of trademarks.

Name – Coco Chanel is a perfect example of a name that is a trademark. The famous designer Coco Chanel built her successful fashion empire by using her name. Types of trademarks for products include five main categories: generic mark, descriptive mark, suggestive mark, fanciful, and arbitrary mark.

One example of a generic mark is the phrase, The Ice Cream Shop. As adjectives, marks should not be used as plurals or in the possessive form , unless the mark itself is plural or possessive (such as 1-800-FLOWERS, MCDONALD’S or LEVI’S). Paul and Raymond have started a new business, taking disabled people hiking in the nation’s national parks. They have come up with a unique name for their business – GoTrek – and registered the name as their trademark. Common law trademark rights go the business that uses the trademark first.

And you can only enforce a common law trademark in the geographic area where the trademark is used.

For example , if you sell a product only in southern California, your common law trademark may prevent another business from selling the same type of product under a similar name in Los Angeles. There are many traps for the unwary, for example, a previously registered trademark does not have to be identical to your proposed trademark to prevent your use. The example of “APPLE” also illustrates an important point when trademarking a common word.

APPLE” does not mean that they own the word in all instances. How could they, if Scholastic, Inc. A trademark is a distinctive wor phrase, symbol, or design that identifies a product or service and is legally owned by its manufacturer or inventor. In formal writing , as a general rule, trademarks should be avoided unless specific products or services are being discussed. Generic trademarks are common terms used to name products or services, for example , a brand of shoes called shoes.

This will include all currently registere pending, abandone canceled and expired trademarks and service marks, both identical and similar to your proposed mark. Instea common law trademark rights have been developed under a judicially created scheme of rights governed by state law. Federal registration, a system created by federal statute, is not required to establish common law rights in a mark, nor is it required to begin use of a mark.

Chanel has won the most damages ($billion) followed by Burberry Limited ($5million), and Gucci ($2million). Getting a domain name relinquished takes a median of 4. Trademarked Brands That Everyone Uses As Generic Names. The USPTO may refuse to register slogans (words or composite word and design marks) that convey information but do not function as marks. Bu, as the adage goes, too much of anything is good for nothing. The brand has become so popular.

To put it simply, generic words and phrases can be trademarked in a number of cases.

But there is a definitive line that separates how and when a common word can and cannot be trademarked. For example, TRUE FLORIDA may be geographically deceptively misdescriptive if the mark is used in connection with oranges not originating from Florida. A trademark will be refused on the principal register if the primary significance of the mark is a last name or surname. A word or other groupings of letters is the most common type of mark.

Logos are probably the next most common form of mark. Pictures or drawings of a character or scene are often used as trademarks. Under Minnesota law, common law trademark infringement occurs when a party utilizes a trade or service mark that creates a likelihood of consumer confusion.

These are all registered trademarks , meaning that their corporate owners have registered the marks with a government agency. However, a mark does not always need to be registered in order to qualify as a trademark.