As you may have noticed, there are various trademark symbols out there used to denote various positions of not only the company but also the product. Some of the most common trademark symbols that are used quite often are the TM, R and the C symbols. They denote a certain trademark or a copyright which indicated the registration of any intellectual item. These will be explained briefly in this article.
Trademark Symbol (TM Symbol)
The full form of the TM symbol is Trademark Symbol. This symbol is normally used when there is an application for the trademark and it is made with the registry of said trademark. Therefore, the TM symbol merely denotes the fact that an application of trademark exists along with the trademark and it indicates a warning to those who may infringe it or the courier fitters. It is represented this way – ™
SM Symbol
The full form of the SM Symbol is Service Mark. It is traditionally similar to the TM symbol and its application of trademark, except that some companies prefer to use this symbol especially for the items are categorized according to the Class 35 to 45. While most of the applicants use the TM symbol mainly for the item filed under the class 1 to 34, other use this symbol for the 35 to 45 class categorized items. It is to be noted that using the TM symbol for all the classes is acceptable whereas the SM symbol is not. It is only acceptable for the aforementioned condition.
R Symbol
The R symbol generally means Registered. It can be used by the applicant next to the trademark symbol once the trademark has been registered accordingly. The R symbols depicts that the trademark has been registered. That is, the applicant has access to the right to protection from unwanted infringements according to the trademark laws. However, these are technical symbols and should be handled with care. It is unlawful and punishable of any one uses this symbol without getting the trademark registration or right after filing an application of trademark. It is represented this way – ®
C Symbol
The C symbol is basically a Copyright symbol. This symbol is mainly used for any kind of personal creation, such as – literary works, books, videography, photography, and artwork and so on – and it indicates that these items are under the ownership of another person or a company. Basically, the aforementioned items cannot be used by another individual without the permission of the owner. Normally, the C symbol is written with the copyright owner and the year of the first time it came into publication.
Some countries are very serious about the issue of the C trademark symbol. It is a compulsory requirement for some to properly use this symbol in order to claim the protection of copyright. But, the Berne Convention states that it is required to use the copyright symbol in order to claim the copyright protection and India has been a member of that Berne Convention. Therefore, the infringers are put on notice and the use of this symbol is not really a statutory provision. It is represented this way – ©
The Trademark Symbol is a very important element to the individuality of any company. It not only gives the brand an identity but at the same time, provides it with necessary protection and warns the infringers at the same time.
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