Can you trademark profanity?
The short answer is: no, you cannot trademark a “bad” word if it is scandalous, offensive, or immoral. U.S. trademark law absolutely bars trademarking words of immoral or scandalous matter.
Can slang be trademarked?
Common words and phrases can be trademarked if the person or company seeking the trademark can demonstrate that the phrase has acquired a distinctive secondary meaning apart from its original meaning. That secondary meaning must be one that identifies the phrase with a particular good or service.
What words can you not trademark?
Words that don’t serve to identify the source of a product can’t be trademarked. Generic words, offensive words, and certain proper names can’t be trademarked. Words that are already trademarked for goods within the same industry can’t be trademarked.
What Cannot be registered as a trademark?
Section 13 and 14 of the Act provides that trademarks containing specific names cannot be registered. Trademarks which have a word that is commonly used of any single chemical element or chemical compound in relation to a chemical substance or preparation cannot be registered.
Is swearing a profanity?
Profanity is a socially offensive use of language, which may also be called cursing, swearing, or expletives. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, rude, or culturally offensive.
Can you use profanity in a business name?
State and federal laws generally prohibit companies from using legally or morally offensive terms. For example, a company name should not use swear words or words that provoke indecent or pornographic thoughts.
Can you use a trademarked word?
By law, you need not request permission to use a trademark belonging to another if it is for an editorial or informational use. Trademark law protects distinctive words, phrases, logos, symbols, slogans, and any other devices used to identify and distinguish products or services in the marketplace.
Can I use a trademarked slogan?
Just because a company has trademark rights, those rights do not absolutely prohibit anyone else from using the same name, logo, or tagline. … The same exact trademark you use can be used on a substantially different product or in a substantially different industry.
How do you tell if a phrase is trademarked?
You can search all applied-for and registered trademarks free of charge by using the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)‘s Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS). If your mark includes a design element, you will have to search it by using a design code.
What are the 3 types of trademarks?
There are four categories of trademarks: (1) fanciful or arbitrary, (2) suggestive, (3) descriptive, and (4) generic.
How much does it cost to trademark a word?
If you have ever asked yourself how much does it cost to trademark a phrase, according to the current fee schedule on the USPTO, trademark registration fees cost $275 per mark per class. If you need an attorney’s assistance, the cost averages around $1,000 to $2,000.