The “”symbol signifies that a trademark has been registered with the USPTO. Registering with the USPTO gives you benefits of national registration,notice and other benefits of that registration. You may not legally use the  until your mark is registered. A “TM” or “SM” symbol means that a company issolely claiming common law rights.Common law rightsare limited to the geographic region where you use your mark. Note, however,that “TM” and “SM” can be used right away to claim ownership of some basic common law rightswhile your mark is pending registration.