Understanding Different Trademark Symbols

When you see the little TM that you can hardly read beside names of products, do you really know what it means? Neither do I, so I decided it was high time that I found out.

In my opinion, the United States Patent and Trademark Office is where you should look for answers to trademark questions if you want accurate information.

The TM, or trademark, symbol indicates that there is a pending trademark application. A trademark, according to the USPTO, is “a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the good of one party from those of others.”

A service mark, or the SM symbol, means the same thing as the trademark, except it represents the source rather than the product.