trademark

A distinctive word, phrase, symbol, or design that identifies a product and is legally owned by its manufacturer or inventor. Abbreviation, TM.

The website of the International Trademark Association [INTA] includes a guide to the proper use of nearly 3,000 U.S. registered trademarks.

See also:

• Bicapitalization
• Brand Name
• Generification
• Genericide
• Guidelines for Using Capital Letters
• Logo

Examples and Observations:

• Though often treated as generic terms, the following words and phrases are all registered trademarks:
  Band-Aid
  Chap Stick
  Crock-Pot
  Dolby
  Formica
  Freon
  Frisbee
  Hacky Sack
  Hoover
  Jacuzzi
  Jeep
  Jet Ski
  Kleenex
  Loafer
  Lycra
  Mace
  Naugahyde
  Playbill
  Popsicle
  Rollerblade
  Skivvies
  Spork
  Taser
  Teletype
  Vaseline
  Velcro
  Windbreaker



• Originally trademarks, these common names are now regarded as generic names:
  aspirin
  bundt cake
  cellophane
  ditto
  dry ice
  escalator
  granola
  heroin
  kerosene
  linoleum
  LP
  minibike
  nylon
  pogostick
  tarmac
  thermos
  touch-tone
  trampoline
  wedgie
  yo-yo
  zipper



• "All editorial style manuals recommend that trademarks be capitalized. But strict adherence to this convention is likely to startle readers, many of whom are unaware that Dacron, Dumpster, Formica, Frisbee, Jell-o, Mace, Muzak, Orlon, Ping-Pong, Post-it, Styrofoam, Teflon, and Touch-Tone are trademarks. Once a trademark is so common as to be perceived as a generic term that is used metaphorically ('that's no more than a band-aid approach'; 'the teflon president'; 'he shook like jello'), some editors will lowercase the name. . . .
  
  "There is no need to include such designations as ™ (trademark), ® (registered trademark), or © (copyright) in running text. Indeed it is preferable not to use these symbols because they may interfere with the linespacing of the final document."
  (Amy Einsohn, The Copyeditor's Handbook. Univ. of California Press, 2006)



• Keep Calm . . .
  "In the heart of Northumberland, England, is the pretty town of Alnwick.
  
  "For bibliophiles, a stop at its second-hand bookshop is a must. Barter Books is housed in the town’s old railway station and, on its outside wall, the shop’s owner Stuart Manley has hung a piece of ephemera, a World War Two poster that reads 'Keep Calm and Carry On.'
  
  "The problem is that Mark Coop, a businessman, trademarked the phrase in 2011. Coop saw an opportunity to create a monopoly of souvenir mugs, aprons and the like bearing this slogan. He even copied the poster design, and ever since this unremarkable English phrase has been taken out of the public realm and is now privately owned."
  (Harry Blutstein, "Keep Calm and Trademark It: Privatising the English Language." SmartCompany.com.au, May 16, 2013)