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Trademark BasicsTrademark BasicsHow to Select Good Trademarks
and Effectively Protect Them
h é i h h
June 19, 2013
John L. DuPré Timothy J. MeagherPrincipals
Coming this Fall:Coming this Fall:We’re growing!
Concord, MA530 Virginia Rd
Boston, MA155 Seaport Blvd530 Virginia Rd 155 Seaport Blvd
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Why are companies interestedi t d k ?in trademarks?
• They are used to establish an exclusive market • They are used to establish an exclusive market position for the same and similar marks.
• They are valued by investors, venture it li t b k j i t t t tcapitalists, bankers, joint venture partners, etc.
• They represent the good will and quality of the company’s products.
• They can be licensed to produce substantial sources of income.
• They can be used for defensive purposes to • They can be used for defensive purposes to prevent others from seeking toobtain similar marks.
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Agenda
• What is a Trademark?H t S l t T d k th t t • How to Select Trademarks that are easy to protect and defend?
• What are cost effective searching strategies?• What is “Use” of a Trademark?• How to Properly Use a Trademark?• How and when should TM or ® Notice be used?• What are Effective and Efficient U.S. and Foreign
Registration Strategies? • What steps should you take to Police against What steps should you take to Police against
infringers of your trademarks rights?
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What is a Trademark?What is a Trademark?
A l b l d d • A name, term, slogan or symbol adopted and used by an company to (1) identify its products and services and (2) to p ( )distinguish those products and services from those of others.
• The mark can signify the source of the products or services and also indicate the quality level of the products or services.
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What types of Formats canb d f t d k ?be used for trademarks?
• Words - COKE, APPLE, THE TRUTH• Slogans – NEW ENGLAND IS GIANT COUNTRY• Letters AAA CBS CSHL NECC• Letters - AAA, CBS, CSHL, NECC• Numbers - No. 5, 1-800-54-GIANT• Logos - Mr. Clean, GIANT GLASS Logo, g , g ,
FINAGLE A BAGEL Logo• Colors - Pink For Insulation, VIEGA Yellow
Logo Orange DotsLogo, Orange Dots• Sounds - NBC chime, Intel tones,
Harley Davidson
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What types of Formats canb d f t d k ?be used for trademarks?
• Words - COKE, APPLE, THE TRUTH• Slogans – NEW ENGLAND IS GIANT COUNTRY• Letters AAA CBS CSHL NECC• Letters - AAA, CBS, CSHL, NECC• Numbers - No. 5, 1-800-54-GIANT• Logos - Mr. Clean, GIANT GLASS Logo, g , g ,
FINAGLE A BAGEL Logo• Colors - Pink For Insulation, VIEGA Yellow
Logo Orange DotsLogo, Orange Dots• Sounds - NBC chime, Intel tones,
Harley Davidson
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What types of Formats canb d f t d k ?be used for trademarks?
• Words - COKE, APPLE, THE TRUTH• Slogans – NEW ENGLAND IS GIANT
COUNTRYCOUNTRY• Letters - AAA, CBS, CSHL, NECC• Numbers - No. 5, 1-800-54-GIANT• Logos - Mr. Clean, GIANT GLASS Logo,
FINAGLE A BAGEL Logo• Colors - Pink For Insulation VIEGA Yellow • Colors Pink For Insulation, VIEGA Yellow
Logo, Orange Dots• Sounds - NBC chime, Intel tones,
Ha le Da idson
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Harley Davidson
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What types of Formats canb d f t d k ?be used for trademarks?
• Words - COKE, APPLE, THE TRUTH• Slogans – NEW ENGLAND IS GIANT COUNTRY• Letters AAA CBS CSHL NECC• Letters - AAA, CBS, CSHL, NECC• Numbers - No. 5, 1-800-54-GIANT• Logos - Mr. Clean, GIANT GLASS Logo, g , g ,
FINAGLE A BAGEL Logo• Colors - Pink For Insulation, VIEGA Yellow
Logo Orange DotsLogo, Orange Dots• Sounds - NBC chime, Intel tones,
Harley Davidson
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What types of Formats canb d f t d k ?be used for trademarks?
• Words - COKE, APPLE, THE TRUTH• Slogans – NEW ENGLAND IS GIANT COUNTRY• Letters AAA CBS CSHL NECC• Letters - AAA, CBS, CSHL, NECC• Numbers - No. 5, 1-800-54-GIANT• Logos - Mr. Clean, GIANT GLASS Logo, g , g ,
FINAGLE A BAGEL Logo• Colors - Pink For Insulation, VIEGA Yellow
Logo Orange DotsLogo, Orange Dots• Sounds - NBC chime, Intel tones,
Harley Davidson
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What types of Formats canb d f t d k ?be used for trademarks?
• Words - COKE, APPLE, THE TRUTH• Slogans – NEW ENGLAND IS GIANT COUNTRY• Letters AAA CBS CSHL NECC• Letters - AAA, CBS, CSHL, NECC• Numbers - No. 5, 1-800-54-GIANT• Logos - Mr. Clean, GIANT GLASS Logo, g , g ,
FINAGLE A BAGEL Logo• Colors - Pink For Insulation, VIEGA Yellow
Logo Orange DotsLogo, Orange Dots• Sounds - NBC chime, Intel tones,
Harley Davidson
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How can you select good trademarks?How can you select good trademarks?
• Generic Terms – Not Protectable
• Descriptive Terms – Need Acquired Distinctiveness (“Secondary Meaning”) MANAGED MARKET SURVEYOR
• Suggestive Terms – Wrangler, Whirlpool, ZOOM, ACE
• Distinctive Terms – Best Trademarks– New Context – Apple, GUTS, FINAGLE A BAGEL– Coined Terms – Exxon, Kodak, , ,
ALKERMES
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How can you select good trademarks?How can you select good trademarks?
• Generic Terms – Not Protectable
• Descriptive Terms – Need Acquired Distinctiveness (“Secondary Meaning”) MANAGED MARKET SURVEYORMANAGED MARKET SURVEYOR
• Suggestive Terms – Wrangler, Whirlpool, ZOOM, ACE
• Distinctive Terms – Best Trademarks– New Context – Apple, GUTS, FINAGLE A BAGEL– Coined Terms – Exxon, Kodak,
ALKERMES
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How can you select good trademarks?How can you select good trademarks?
• Generic Terms – Not Protectable
• Descriptive Terms – Need Acquired Distinctiveness (“Secondary Meaning”) MANAGED MARKET SURVEYOR
• Suggestive Terms – Wrangler, Whirlpool, ZOOM, ACE
• Distinctive Terms – Best Trademarks– New Context – Apple, GUTS, FINAGLE A BAGEL– Coined Terms – Exxon, Kodak,
ALKERMES
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How can you select good trademarks?How can you select good trademarks?
• Generic Terms – Not Protectable
• Descriptive Terms – Need Acquired Distinctiveness (“Secondary Meaning”) MANAGED MARKET SURVEYOR
• Suggestive Terms – Wrangler, Whirlpool, ZOOM, ACE
• Distinctive Terms – Best Trademarks– New Context – Apple, GUTS, FINAGLE A BAGEL– Coined Terms – Exxon, Kodak, , ,
ALKERMES
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How can you select good trademarks?How can you select good trademarks?
• Generic Terms – Not Protectable
• Descriptive Terms – Need Acquired Distinctiveness (“Secondary Meaning”) MANAGED MARKET SURVEYOR
• Suggestive Terms – Wrangler, Whirlpool, ZOOM, ACE
• Distinctive Terms – Best Trademarks– New Context – Apple, GUTS, FINAGLE A BAGEL– Coined Terms – Exxon, Kodak, , ,
ALKERMES
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Once you have selected a proposed k h t h ld d ?mark, what should you do?
M k th k i il bl f dMake sure the mark is available for use andthat there are no conflicting marks
Clearance steps:Clearance steps:• Check Knowledge in Industry• Internet Search – Google/Bing Searchesg / g• Preliminary Trademark Screen – TESS
Database at USPTO• Full Trademark Search
• Most cost effective: Retain SearchService for Search Reportp
• Clearance Opinion
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What happens after thek i l d?mark is cleared?
U f h k b i• Use of the mark can begin
• You can file an application for registration• You can file an application for registration– File electronically using the Trademark
Office’s TEAS Systemy– Based on actual use– Based on intent to use
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How Do Trademark Rights Arise?How Do Trademark Rights Arise?
• In the U.S.– By Use - Common law rights arise
without filing once the trademark is used. used.
– Filing an Application - You can file based on actual use or on intent to useuse
• Outside the U.S.Outs de t e U S– With few exceptions, trademark
rights arise only with filing
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What is Use?
For TrademarksShipping of P od ct in Inte state • Shipping of Product in Interstate Commerce to an unrelated Party, where the mark appears on the
dgoods• On the goods – means on labels, packaging• No "Use" if the trademark appears only on the No Use if the trademark appears only on the
good's promotional materials, advertisements• Although a sale is a "use", money need not
change hands (shipping for legitimate testing change hands (shipping for legitimate testing purposes is a use)
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What is Use?
For Service MarksP o iding a Se ice in Inte state • Providing a Service in Interstate Commerce to an unrelated Party;where the services are promoted
d th kunder the mark• The Use of service mark requires both
promotion of the services under the mark and provision of the services to a customer
• Unlike trademarks, use for service marks is on promotional material, such as on promotional material, such as advertisements and brochures.
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How should you properly use a t d k? A d h ?trademark? And why?
U it Adj ti• Use it as an Adjective• Never Use a Trademark as a Noun• Never Use a Trademark in Possessive or Never Use a Trademark in Possessive or
Plural Format• Best Format:
"Trademark® Generic Term"– "Trademark® Generic Term"– e.g. ZOOM® Telecommunications products
• Why – avoid becoming a generic term like “ i i ” “ l t ”“aspirin” or “escalator”
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Which Trademark Notice to Used h h ld ?and when should you use?
• Use "™" when the trademark is not registered (for a common law mark or when application is pending)
• Use "®" when the trademark is registered (only for goods or services coveredby registration)by registration)
• Purposes of Trademark Notices– To make others aware of your claim of
trademark rights– To increase damages (Only for ® notice)
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Where should TM Notice be used?Where should TM Notice be used?
• Where to Use TM Notice– "On the goods" for products; Usually as a
superscript after the trademarkp p– "On promotional materials" for services– For other uses in writings that have
multiple appearances of trademark you multiple appearances of trademark, you should use the notice in the first, most prominent place of a section or portion that i lik l t b t l i dis likely to be separately viewed
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What are the considerations forf i fili f t d k ?foreign filing of trademarks?
Di t Fili i E h C t• Direct Filing in Each Country
• Direct Community Filing (European CTM)y g ( p )
• International Madrid Protocol Filing designating countries for extension of designating countries for extension of protection
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Countries covered by a EUROPEAN COMMUNITY TRADEMARKCOMMUNITY TRADEMARK
A t i G N th l dAustria Germany NetherlandsBelgium Greece PolandBulgaria Hungary Portugalg g y gCyprus Ireland RomaniaCzech Republic Italy Slovakia
k lDenmark Latvia SloveniaEstonia Lithuania SpainFinland Luxembourg SwedenFinland Luxembourg SwedenFrance____________Does not cover
Malta United Kingdom
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Does not cover Switzerland or Norway
Member Countries Under theMADRID PROTOCOLMADRID PROTOCOL
AlbaniaAntigua & BarbudaArmenia
GeorgiaGermanyGhana
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
SpainSudanSierra Leone
AustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahrainBelarus
GhanaGreeceHungaryIcelandIndia (7/13)I
pMadagascarMexicoMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongolia
Sierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSwazilandSwitzerlandS dBelarus
BeneluxBhutanBosnia & HerzegovinaBotswana
IranIrelandIsraelItalyJapan
MongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaN th l d A till
SwedenSyrian Arab RepublicTurkeyTajikistanTurkmenistan
BulgariaChinaColombiaCroatiaCuba
KazakhstanKenyaKorea, Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of
Netherlands AntillesNew ZealandNorwayOmanPhilippines
UkraineUnited KingdomUzbekistanVietnamZambia
CyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaEgypt
pKyrgyzstanLatviaLesothoLiberiaLiechtenstein
PolandPortugalRomaniaRussian FederationSan Marino
Zambia
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EgyptEuropean CommunityFinlandFrance
LiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourg
San MarinoSao Tome & PrincipeSerbiaSlovenia
Are there risks with M d id Fili ?a Madrid Filing?
Th i t t d d • The coverage in every country stands and falls with Home Registration.
• The scope of Coverage in each country is Limited to the scope of the Home Registration.g
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What steps should you take to ff ti l P li i ht ?effectively Police your rights?
R i t t d k• Register your trademarks• Investigate to Make Sure You Have Priority
of Rights (Be the first to use or file)g ( )• Send Cease & Desist Letter to the Infringer
(Be aware of potential Declaratory Judgment Action in foreign jurisdiction)Action in foreign jurisdiction)
• File T.M. Oppositions and Cancellations Proceedings in the USPTO
d l C f• Pursue Federal Court Infringement Action
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QuestionsQuestions
h éJohn L. DuPréPrincipal
John DuPre@hbsr com
Timothy J. MeagherPrincipal
Tim Meagher@hbsr comJohn.DuPre@hbsr.com Tim.Meagher@hbsr.com
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