Can I trademark a slogan?

Lawyer Answers

Can I trademark a slogan?

Can I trademark a slogan?

Taylor Tieman

los angeles, USA

View Profile

Read Answer

Full Explanation

Can I trademark a slogan? Yes, but with some conditions attached. The USPTO will allow you to register a slogan. There's just a bit higher of a bar that we're gonna have to clear to get it registered. Super generic phrases, quality you can trust, way too common, way too generic, that's never gonna get through. Can't be too descriptive. It really has to be something that distinguishes your brand and is unique. What we're looking at is, is it distinctive? Is it arbitrary? Is it unexpected? Great example is Nike's Just Do It slogan. Before you ever heard that slogan and knew that it was attached to Nike, probably would have had no idea who it was connected to. Really simple test is, if you hear a slogan and you wouldn't be able to tell what brand or business it's connected to, it's probably gonna be able to be registered. It's a really generic feel-good type of slogan. I'd say probably not. But yes, slogans can be trademarked. Some of them are just gonna have a harder time doing so.

Related Questions