These symbols show your trademark status within the United States. People with common law service marks can use the symbol ™ in its place, as a service mark is a type of trademark. Many people avoid using the SM symbol because it's not widely understood and the letters SM have undesirable connotations. Like the ™ symbol, SM can be used freely without filing paperwork. It's the common law trademark applied to services, like lawn mowing or manicures, once they are used in commerce. You cannot use it where you have a common law trademark or a trademark pending.Ī less common trademark symbol is SM.
#Small r trademark symbol registration#
You can only use this symbol with a piece of registered intellectual property used in connected with the goods and services noted on your federal registration certificate. This is the trademark applied to goods or services once the common law trademark is registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). While the ™ symbol indicates common law rights, your common law trademark offers less protection than a registered trademark. The ™ symbol was first used in the United States and the United Kingdom, but its use has spread throughout the world. You do not need to file any paperwork or get anyone's approval to use this symbol. Any mark automatically gets a common law trademark once it's used in commerce. This is sometimes called a common law trademark or unregistered trademark. You should use trademark symbols with a range of intellectual property, including your brand name, your product names, your logo, and your slogan. They distinguish a company's goods and services. These symbols promote a piece of intellectual property and its trademark status. There are two main trademark symbols: ™ (HTML: &#8482 or &trade or Unicode: U+2122) and ® (HTML: &reg or Unicode: U+000AE) and a third less common: ℠ (HTML: &#8480 or Unicode: U+02120). Frequently Asked Questions What Is a Trademark Symbol? Inserting the Trademark Symbols into Documents 4.