by OrphanCrow 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
A while back, there was some controversy over whether or not JW .org qualified for registered trademark status.
Yesterday, i was given one of the 2015 Memorial invitations and there is a small TM next to the JW logo.
Did the WTS get the logo approved for trademark?
Or, am I looking at an invitation to the Janitor World's Jesus celebrations?
TM is an unregistered trademark.
From what I understand, what they lost was their right to claim a "registered" trademark.
TM is not the same as ®.
You can legally slap a TM on anything you use for branding. The ® has more weight in a court of law.
From Wikipedia:
A trademark may be designated by the following symbols:
- ™ (the "trademark symbol", which is the letters "TM", for an unregistered trademark, a mark used to promote or brand goods)
- ℠ (which is the letters "SM" in superscript, for an unregistered service mark, a mark used to promote or brand services)
- ® (the letter "R" surrounded by a circle, for a registered trademark)
Ah...I did not understand that. Thanks Cappytan for clarifying.
So...the TM is just an attempt to appear legitimate and carries no weight at all except for appearance.
Okay.
:)
*oops...posted too soon...I see the extra info now...thanks cappy.
So...the TM is just an attempt to appear legitimate and carries no weight at all except for appearance.
A TM can be defended in a court of law for trademark violation litigation, but only if the trademark holder can prove somehow that they have been using it historically earlier than the other party.
In the society's case, publications with a certain copyright date would suffice as evidence of historical use of a trademark.
Obtaining a ® means that any litigation defending the trademark would be much swifter. Evidence needing to be provided would only be the registration documents and nothing more.
Also, remember that a TM is still copyrighted by the original creator of the artwork. So, in this case, the JW dot ORG logo is being used as an unregistered trademark by the society, and it's also subject to copyright laws for reproduction of the logo.
Try here for info: JW Logo denied trademark status
