trademark

What are the differences between “special form” (stylized, design, logo) trademarks and “standard character” (word) trademarks?

The 2 basic trademark types are these: (1) “special form” trademarks and (2) “standard character” trademarks. A “special form” trademark that consists of stylized words, letters, numbers and/or a design element such as a logo. A “standard character” trademark consists only of words, letters, or numbers, with no stylization, color or design element.

We here at CMLP headquarters are always thinking about ways to improve our Legal Guide in order to make it more useful for you, our readers. As part of this ongoing effort, we recently updated the section on Securing Trademark Rights: Ownership and Federal Registration.

The expanded section provides step-by-step instructions on filing for a federal trademark registration and links to important forms and manuals on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website, as well as information on maintaining your trademark rights through proper usage.