Types of Trademarks

Do you need to register your trademark but are not sure which type of trademark you need to register? If so, this article is for you!

Types of Trademarks

Are you at the point where you feel that you are ready to register the trademark of your company, nonprofit, product or service? Or maybe you are in the beginning stages of launching your own company or product? In either case, if you are not sure about the various “types of trademarks” – have no fear. Our goal is that you will be more familiar with the different types of trademarks after reading this article.

There are several different types of trademarks that you can use to legally protect your business, nonprofit, product or service. There are rules that govern each type of trademarks and the rules vary. The good news is that most of them all have to follow a few basic principles.

The first thing that you need to know is that your trademark serves the important purpose of helping your customers or the public know who you are or recognize your product, service, business, or nonprofit easily. Here are just a few of the different “types of trademarks” that exist and how you can use these to create a trademark that you can use to build and grow your brand:

  1. Word Marks: This is a type of trademark that is made up of words or a combination of numbers and words. For example, HP or CNN would be examples of word marks. This type of trademark (word mark) could consist of one or two words, for instance, COCA-COLA or simply one word, Microsoft. A word mark is usually registered in a standard typeface. This means that if you have a logo that accompanies your word mark, you will need to apply to register it within a separate application.
  2. Shape marks/logos: Shape marks are trademarks made up of a shapes or logos in combination with words. Shape marks also include word marks designed with a specific font, which could be black and white or in color.
  3. Collective mark: This is a type of mark, logo, word, phrase, symbol, label, or other marks used by members of a group, business, or company to recognize goods, members, products and services they make. Collective marks are frequently used to confirm membership in a union, organization, or other associations. The use of a collective mark is limited to mark the group itself.
  4. Certification marks: The certification mark is a specific type of trademark which offers a guarantee (certifies) that the products, business, or services bearing the mark meet a certain defined standard or has a particular attribute. Here ,the owner of the mark will define those standards or attributes. These types of marks are mostly registered in the name of trade associations, government departments, or similar bodies.
  5. Three-dimensional trademarks: This type of trademark is used when a particular product or its packaging has a specific shape. For instance, most perfume or liquor bottles have a specific shape used to recognize them. The shape of a particular container must be obviously different from what is common in the market among competitors.

If you would like to discuss your trademark, call us for a free consultation at 1-800-254-6140. We have a 100% success rate with our filings. Disclaimer: Past results do not determine future outcomes.

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