The ® symbol is the international symbol for a trademark registration. On product packaging, billboards, online and elsewhere, companies will place the registration symbol, ®, after company or product names, logos, slogans and more as long as they are registered trademarks.
It is best practice for companies to always properly mark their trademark registrations with the trademark registration symbol. In the example above, UA SPEEDFORM® is a registered trademark for footwear and it is properly marked.
In addition to the trademark registration symbol, i.e. ®, companies use ™ or SM to indicate unregistered trademarks. Often time the ™ or SM symbols are used while the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are reviewing a trademark application for federal trademark registration.
The SM marking indicates that the company owns the service mark and it is not currently registered. The example above shows the GRANITE TRADEMARK SERVICES logo with the proper SM marking indicating it is not (yet) a registered trademark but does denote an offering of services.
It is important for individuals and companies to properly mark their trademarks with a trademark marking based on whether the mark is a registered or a trademark or service mark. To learn more about trademark marking, visit our full blog on the topic.
Do you have any questions about the trademark registration symbols, or other trademark symbols? Or do you want to file a trademark registration? Reach out to us today for a Free Trademark Consultation and an attorney will get back to you within twenty-four hours.