A collective mark is a mark used by an association or cooperative to identify the goods or services of the cooperative. A membership mark is a mark that associates the person using it as a member of a particular organization. This means that they have been through an examination, been determined to qualify as a trademark, have been published for opposition, and have either not been opposed, or have survived an opposition proceeding. Marks that are not confusingly similar to other registered marks, but which are merely descriptive, geographically descriptive, or merely surnames, may be registered on the supplemental register. Marks on the supplemental register are not presumed valid, and are only accorded protection in the geographic area where they are actually used.
Trademarks fall into a sliding scale of protection.
These are marks that have no meaning or significance to a consumer of the particular product or service. The next level is suggestive marks - marks that might bring to a consumer's mind the nature of the product or service, but it would take some imagination to connect the two. The above categories are referred to as 'inherently distinctive' - meaning that their mere use without more in connection with a product or service will establish rights to protect the association. The final two levels are descriptive and generic . A descriptive word or mark is a symbol that literally describes the goods or services to which it is applied.