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When to Consider Combined TrademarkingĪ trademark owner must also bear in mind that there are circumstances when opting to register a combined trademark is best. How the trademarks will be used while considering the possibility of updating or changing the logo in the future will matter in deciding which types of trademarks are best to be registered. If a business owner can only afford to register one or two trademarks, separately registering the standard word and the image-only logo mark provides for much flexibility in the actual use of the trademarks. has the following trademark registrations (among other variations): To illustrate better, Disney Enterprises Inc.
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This is the reason why, whenever practicable, it is prudent to register the word mark separately from the image/design mark and also from the combined trademark that a business has. On the other hand, a registration for a combined trademark cannot be supported or maintained by the use of the word mark alone or the image element by itself. On one hand, a trademark registration for a standard word mark can generally be supported by the use of the word mark in different fonts or stylization, and even as part of a logo so long as the design element of the logo does not interfere with the word element.
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The combined trademark does not have the same coverage of protection as that of a standard word mark. As such, the word and design elements of combined trademarks cannot be separated. Purely image or design trademarks need to be used exactly as they were registered. Logo trademarks are protected exactly as they were registered. However, while this “shortcut” seems a cheap alternative, it may cause complications and unnecessarily restrict the trademark protection that can be obtained. They can also be a combination trademark of word/s and image/s.Ī classic example of a common misunderstanding for business owners is that registering a combined trademark is an economical way of protecting their brands. Trademarks are usually recognized as either word marks or logos/images. Smaller companies and startups usually need to be more strategic in considering which of their brands and which types of trademark to register bearing in mind the costs related to filing and professional fees. It is important to understand the types of trademarks when deciding what trademark to apply for registration as it will affect the extent of protection for a business’ branding, especially if the business has just started and costs might be an issue.Įstablished companies have portfolios of trademarks that extensively cover their full range of branding and marketing strategies to ensure the maximum scope of protection for their businesses. There are also different types of trademarks. It is not uncommon for businesses to have more than one trademark.
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