The moment you begin using your trademark in U.S. commerce (for example, with the sale or exchange of your goods and/or services), you establish what is called “common law” trademark protection. While you have certain rights in your trademark upon use, there are various limitations to common law rights and we almost always recommend seeking registration of your trademark. Trademark registration affords you with greater rights not available under common law, though there are certain limitations on those rights, as discussed below.

What is a trademark? A trademark is a source-identifier. A trademark can be any word, phrase, symbol, design, or combination of the foregoing that identifies the source of certain goods or services. Not all words are capable of functioning as trademarks. For example, generic terms can never function as trademarks. A generic term is a common term that identifies the good or service itself, rather than identifying the source of the good or service. For example, the term Apple can never be used as a trademark for apples (though it can be used as a trademark for computers).