Trademarks vs. Trade Names
One of the common misconceptions about trademarks is that once you incorporate under a certain name, that name is well protected. Watch the video below to discover if trademarks and trade names are one and the same.
If you found this video useful, subscribe to our YouTube channel. We post new content all the time!
If you have a brand you want to protect, let's get on a quick call to discuss your trademarking strategy.
BOOK A FREE CALL WITH OUR SPECIALISTS
What is the difference between trademarks and trade names, or company names?
Trade names, or company names, are designed to identify the company, the business. They are designed to identify YOU. Whereas trademarks are designed to identify a product or a service. And there is a big, big difference.
So a trade name, or a company name, protects the name of the company no matter what the company does, and in most countries if you register a company name, that business can do anything. So if you are a software company, it does not mean that you can’t sell balloons, or pens, or refrigerators, or offer some services under that same legal name.
However, it is very different from trademarks where trademarks are registered in association with particular products and services. Remember, the function of a trademark is to let the market tell your products and services apart from identical products and services or similar products and services of everyone else.
It does not mean that trademarks are designed to protect the company name. It does not mean that you can’t protect a company name through a trademark. But it has to be a name that the company is using AS their trademark. So for example, Microsoft, they get the protection for their company name not because it is their company name, but because that’s part of the product name Microsoft Windows, Microsoft this. Microsoft that. And also because they are providing services under that name—and that’s what trademarks protect.
So trade names, or company names, there is nothing that prevents you from having one name for a company and completely different product names or service names that you can get as a trademark.
So when you incorporate your business, just because you’re able to register your company where a particular name, it does not mean that you now have a trademark. It doesn’t mean that the name is protected. It doesn’t mean that you’re done.
These are two completely separate areas of government who look at it. The Trademarks Office is separate from the Corporate Office. So make sure that if your names, brand names, if they’re valuable to you, that you register them as a trademark and don’t rely solely on the registration of your company name.
Disclaimer: Please note that this post and this video are not and are not intended as legal advice. Your situation may be different from the facts assumed in this post or video. Your reading this post or watching this video does not create a lawyer-client relationship between you and Trademark Factory International Inc., and you should not rely on this post or this video as the only source of information to make important decisions about your intellectual property.
See our answers to other frequently asked questions about trademarks or leave your comments below!
comments powered by Disqus
- Does My Trademark Need to Match My Company Name? (
) - What Is a Trademark? ()
- Can I Add More Products and Services to My Trademark Application After It Has Been Filed? ()
- Where Should I Register My Trademarks? (Deciding on Jurisdictions in Which to File Trademarks) ()
- What Is Conventional Priority? ()
- Can I Change the Trademark Itself After My Trademark Application has been Filed? ()
- How Long Does It Take to Register a Trademark? ()
- Can I Trademark Dictionary Words? ()
- Can I Trademark the Same Brand for Different Products or Services? ()
- Do All Countries Protect Unregistered Trademarks? (Common-Law Trademarks) ()
- Can I Trademark a Brand Before It Is Launched? (Intent-to-Use Trademarks) ()
- Is My Trademark Available? ()
- Should I Trademark My Startup's Brand? ()
- In Whose Name Should I Apply For My Trademark? ()
- Will the Trademarks Office Help Me Enforce My Trademarks? ()
- Should I Trademark a Logo Done On Fiverr? ()
- How Much Does It Cost to Register a Trademark? ()
- Should I Trademark My #Hashtags? ()
- Are There Annual Trademark Maintenance Fees? ()
- If I Register My Trademark, Does It Mean No One Can Use It? ()
- Four Things Most Commonly Trademarked (The Trademark Dance) ()
- How Does Trademark Factory's Guarantee Work? ()
- What Are Nice Classes of Goods and Services ()
- Do I Have to Be an American Resident to File in the U.S.? ()
- How Are Service Marks Different From Trademarks? ()
- What Are Oppositions? ()
- 3 Most Important Benefits of Registering Trademarks ()
- Why Register a Trademark in Canada to Get a .CA Domain Name? ()
- What is Post-Allowance Statement / Declaration of Use? ()
- Am I Protected Between the Filing and the Registration of My Trademark? ()
- What Is Post-Registration Statement of Use? ()
- How to Use Trademarks to Create a Sense of Uniqueness for Your Business? ()
- What Goes Into a Trademark Application? ()
- What Happens If You Don't Respond to Correspondence from Trademarks Office in Time? ()
- What Makes a Brand Valuable? ()
- Is Registering a .COM Domain Name Enough to Secure Trademark Rights? ()
- Why Is It Important to Preserve Evidence of Use of My Trademarks? ()
- Do I Need an Agreement with My Logo Designer? ()
- Andrei Mincov's story ()
- What is Madrid Protocol? ()
- Trademark Factory Ultimate package ()
- What Are Official Marks in Canada? ()
- Trademark Factory I Feel Lucky package ()
- How Will a Trademark Examiner Examine My Trademark Application? ()
- Can You Trademark Book Titles? ()
- Trademark Factory All-Inclusive package ()
- Look-Alike and Sound-Alike Trademarks ()
- Will the Trademark Examiner Check Other Applied For Trademarks? ()
- Trademarking Words in a Fancy Font? ()
- Will the Trademark Examiner Check Unregistered Trademarks? ()
- You Received an Office Action. Now What? ()
- How Long Is a Trademark Registration Good For? ()
- When Should I Trademark My Brand? ()
- Why is Google the Textbook Example of What Not to Do with Your Trademark? ()
- Should I Claim Color as a Feature of My Trademark ? ()
- What Is the Difference Between Trademarks and Patents? ()
- How Should I List Products and Services in My Trademark Application? ()
- What Is the Difference Between Trademarks and Copyright? ()
- When Should I Trademark My Logo? ()
- What Are the Two Main Reasons My Trademark Application Can Be Rejected? ()
- What Is the Trademarking Process? ()
- Can I Mention Someone Else's Trademark on My Website? ()
- What Is An Acceptable Specimen of Use? ()
- What Are Generic, Descriptive, Suggestive, Arbitrary, and Fanciful Trademarks? ()
- What Is UDRP Uniform Domain Name Resolution Policy? ()
- How Do I Trademark Product Names? ()
- When Am I Allowed to Put TM Next To My Brand? ()
- How Do I Trademark Service Names? ()
- What Are Word Marks, Design Marks, and Combined Marks? ()
- What Should I Know About Trademarking Slogans and Taglines? ()
- Should I Trademark My Name Or My Logo ()
- Adding Elements to My Trademark to Overcome Confusion or Descriptiveness ()
- Are Famous Trademarks Treated Differently From Regular Trademarks ()
- Received an Invoice For International Publication of Trademark ()
- What Should I Do If Somebody Infringes on My Trademark ()
- Do Trademarks Protect Their Foreign Equivalents ()
- What Should I Do If Somebody Accuses Me of Infringing Their Trademark? ()
- Asian Domain Name Scam ()
- What Are Two Biggest Branding Mistakes? ()
- Are Dead Trademarks a Problem? ()
- What Is The Difference Between a TM and an R in a Circle Symbols ()
- What Does Using a Trademark Mean? ()
- How Do I Choose a Great Brand for my Business, Product, or Service ? ()
- What Is Weekly Confusion Watch Service? ()
- Supplemental Register ()
- What Are Ornamental Trademarks? ()
- What Happens If I Don't Renew My Trademark In Time? ()
- What Does Confusingly Similar Mean? ()
- What Is a Trademark Assignment Agreement? ()
- What Does Date of First Use Mean? ()
- What Is a License Agreement? ()
- Why Is Search So Important? ()
- What Are Incontestable Trademarks? ()
- How Do I Check the Current Status of my Trademark Application? ()
- Important Amendments to Canada's Trademark Law ()
- How To Trademark a Name and Logo ()
- Trademarking Strategies For Life And Business Coaches ()
- How Do I Cancel Someone Else's Trademarks? ()
- Why Do Celebrities Trademark Their Catchphrases? ()
- How George Clooney Made $1 Billion Using Trademarks? ()
- Misspellings and Other Changes to Get Around Someone Else's Trademark ()
- How To Protect Your Brand On Amazon? ()
- Dividing a USPTO Trademark Application ()
- 5 Movies with Unbelievable Scenes about Trademarks and Intellectual Property ()
- Trademark Factory's New & Improved I Feel Lucky Package ()
- The Dumbest Advice About Trademarks You Could Ever Give ()
- 5 Things You Should Never Say About Your Brand ()
- Trademarks vs Domain Names ()
- What's Your Brand Worth? ()
- 3 Y's Of Protecting Your Brand ()
- Matrix of Success 2 Things a Business Needs for Success ()
- How Coca Cola Trademarked Their Brand ()
- Trademarks: Certainty vs. Commitment ()
- Trademarking Process In a Nutshell - TMs Into Rs Brand Protection Formula ()
- Can I Trademark An App ()
- 3 Types Of Businesses And What This Has To Do With Trademarks ()
- Incorporation vs Trademarking ()
- 3 Nasty Trademark Rip Offs And How To Avoid Them ()