FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What Is The Difference Between a TM and an R in a Circle Symbols
You often see symbols on different brands and logos, but do they mean the same thing?
What's the difference between a ™ and a ®?
Can you use the TM symbol for unregistered trademarks? Can you use the R in a circle symbol for registered trademarks?
All the answers you need are in the short video below.
THINKING OF TRADEMARKING YOUR BRAND?
A ™ means that you think it's your trademark. You put it next to your brand. ™ would signify that you, yourself, think that this brand, this name, this logo, this tagline—whatever it is, is your trademark.
The R in a circle (®) means it's a registered trademark. So you think it's a trademark and the government agrees. The government agrees that you can use certain laws and certain presumptions embedded in these laws to go after anybody who may want to steal your brand.
You can do a lot of things with a ™ in countries that recognize unregistered trademarks—again we have a video for that but an ® means it is registered by the government, it's a registered trademark, unlike the ™ which is an unregistered trademark.
Sometimes, you can have a registered trademark and still have ™ next to it. You are not required to put an ® in a circle next to registered trademarks, but you cannot put an ® next to unregistered trademarks.
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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.
