Examples of trademark in a Sentence
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
Gilligan’s trademark cold opens, which can transport us halfway around the world or introduce new characters, remain a masterly way of calibrating suspense.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
But Trader Joe’s might argue that the crimping on its sandwiches is simply functional and not something that can be trademarked, Kelber said.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trademark
Cite this Entry
“Trademark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trademark. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
trademark
noun
Legal Definition
trademark
noun
Note: The Patent and Trademark Office registers trademarks and service marks that are used in interstate commerce or in intrastate commerce that affects interstate commerce. There are also state registration statutes for marks used in intrastate commerce. A trademark or service mark need not be registered for an owner to enforce his or her rights in court. The common law recognizes ownership of a trademark, established by actual and first use of the mark, but it extends only to the areas or markets where the mark is used. Federal registration of a trademark gives rise to a federal cause of action for infringement in addition to the common-law claim. Registration also serves as evidence of the owner's exclusive right to the continuous use and validity of the mark, and as constructive notice to the world of the claim to the mark. To be a valid trademark at common law and for federal registration, a mark must be distinctive; a descriptive mark may become distinctive by acquiring secondary meaning.
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