Trademarks Webton Office Homepage A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, which identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods or services of one party from those of others. A service mark is the same as a trademark except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than a product. Normally, a mark for goods appears on the product or on its packaging, while a service mark appears in advertising for the services. Trade names or business names are the names used to identify a particular company or corporation.
Trademarks are names that identify a business s goods or services in the marketplace.
Business names can become trademarks when they are used in the marketplace to identify a product or service. Federal registration is not required to establish rights in a mark, nor is it required to begin use of a mark. However, federal registration can secure benefits beyond the rights acquired by merely using a mark. In other countries different procedures and rules may apply. Unlike copyrights or patents, trademark rights can last indefinitely if the owner continues to use the mark to identify its goods or services.