Brand recognition is critical to the success of most businesses today and is an important reason why KODAK, YVES ST. LAURENT, and ROLEX have been so successful. Consumers depend on brand identity because it makes their choices simpler. Familiar trademarks allow buyers to find products that they know are reliable. Anything that can act as a "source indicator" can function as a trademark. It might be a word (e.g. LEVIS), a phrase (e.g. JUST DO IT), a number (e.g. 571), symbol (an apple), or a color (e.g. pink).
What's in a Name? - William Shakespeare
What makes a trademark strong?
Distinctiveness is what provides a trademark's strength. Distinctiveness can be acquired through the passage of time or through the mark itself. There are several famous trademarks that are considered distinctive simply because, over time, the public has come to associate the mark with the product, for example, AMERICAN AIRLINES. Other trademarks, such as EXXON and KODAK are distinctive because the marks are coined terms. In increasing order of strength, trademarks are traditionally categorized as generic (bread for bread products), descriptive ("farm fresh eggs"), suggestive (COPPERTONE), arbitrary (AMAZON), or coined (XEROX). A generic mark is not entitled to any trademark protection. A coined mark is entitled to the most protection.
Brian K. Yost- Patents and trademarks
(817) 336-2400
Trademarks are Source Indicators
Your trademark tells the world about who you are and what you do. Protecting trademarks is vital. For without trademark protection, the public would have little confidence that car they drive, the clothes they wear, or the food they eat is of any particular quality. It's just human nature that a person who has a favorable experience with a product will return again and again if the need arises. However, in this rapidly changing economy, people often never visit the physical site the businesses they deal with. Therefore, now, more than ever, it is essential that you develop and protect a strong trademark.
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