A question I am asked time and time again is what exactly can be protected as a trade mark? This month therefore I thought it would be useful to give you some well known live examples of what can be protected and some of the items may well surprise you!
A trade mark is essentially a means of distinguishing one trader and his/her products from those of other traders but what does this actually MEAN in practice?
Here is a list of just some of the different types of marks that have been registered to date:
- Words (eg. COCA COLA, KODAK)
- Slogans (eg. JUST DO IT for Nike sportswear)
- Letters (eg. RBS for banking services)
- Domain names (eg. amazon.com)
- Numerals (eg. 501 jeans)
- Shapes (eg. the triangular shape of a Toblerone chocolate bar)
- Colours (eg. registration by Heinz of the colour turquoise for baked beans)
- Sounds (eg. Intel’s 4 note musical jingle)
- Smells (eg. “a floral fragrance of roses as applied to tyres” registered by Sumitomo Rubber Industries)
So take a look again at what you are using in your business as there may be more to protect than you first thought!
If you would like to arrange a FREE consultation to discuss protecting any aspect of your company branding then please call us on 07551 585783 or email info@thebigideaslegalcompany.com.