Trademark Usage: Treat Brands as Adjectives
A trademark is an adjective, never a verb. When writing copy or UI text, use ™ for unregistered and ® for registered marks, and distinguish them from surrounding text. The footgun is treating brands as verbs or implying endorsement when citing third parties.
A trademark is an adjective that modifies a noun, never a verb or a standalone noun. When writing product copy, documentation, or UI text, always use ™ on the first or most prominent use of an unregistered mark and ® for a registered one, and distinguish the mark from surrounding text with capitalization, bold, italics, or stylized formatting. The footgun is genericizing your own brand by using it as a verb like "fedexing," or implying sponsorship by using more of a third-party mark than necessary.
Read the original → inta.org
- #trademarks
- #copywriting
- #intellectual-property
- #legal
- #branding
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