Does a hyphen make a difference in a trademark?
Section 807.14(c) of The Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure states, “Punctuation, such as quotation marks, hyphens, periods, commas, and exclamation marks, generally does not significantly alter the commercial impression of the mark.” In other words, the addition or subtraction of punctuation does not seriously …
Can a word have multiple trademarks?
Only one mark per application It should come as no surprise that one trademark application can cover only one mark. In other words, you may not register multiple trademarks in a single application.
Can you trademark the same word mark as another company in different industry?
If you are using a business name that is the same as another company in your industry, caution is warranted. If you are instead using a name that is the same as another company’s name that offers completely different services or products, there is probably not a trademark issue.
Can you use a hyphen in a business name?
Avoid using hyphens and other special characters. Since certain algorithms and directory listings work alphabetically, pick a name closer to A than Z. These days, it even helps if the name can easily be turned into a verb, like Google me.
Can you have an apostrophe in a trademark?
It is generally improper to make changes to a trademark or logo in use. Grafting together two trademarks, adding words or letters to a trademark, and making a trademark plural or possessive with an apostrophe “s” should be avoided.
Does punctuation matter in trademarks?
Punctuation, such as quotation marks, hyphens, periods, commas, and exclamation marks, generally does not significantly alter the commercial impression of the mark.
Can I use a similar trademark name?
A business name generally can be protected as a trademark under federal and state trademark law. As a general rule, if someone in a similar field to yours is already using a particular business or organization name, you should not use it, nor should you use a name that would be confusingly similar.