What is a Trademark?

A trademark is a source identifier, which is a nice way of saying that it is a symbol, word, sound, color or other element capable of signaling where a product or service comes from. That´s the key thing trademarks: they work to indicate consumers where a product or service originates from, not to simply act as a name.

Here´s an example. You might see a three-stripe tee shirt and immediate associate it with or think it was produced by ADIDAS. That´s how trademarks work. Imagine a world where consumers could not trust where a product originates from.

Two illustration suggestions:

-       Imagine you have a particular skin sensitivity and after years buying personal care products, you found a company that uses skin-friendly products that work well on your skin. Trademarks help you find products (or services) from that brand.

-       Imagine you are buying a holiday gift for a kid, and you want to buy for them a product that is safe, age-appropriate, entertaining and educational. When we see any of the many Disney trademarks on a product, it signals that the product originates from The Walt Disney Company or authorized licensees – attesting it has met that company´s standards.

Without trademarks, there´s no trust in the marketplace. Without them, something as simple as buying your favorite snack at the gas station or your kids’ favorite cereal while grocery shopping could take ages, because there would be no reasonable way of differentiating sources.