| ™ | |
|---|---|
Trademark symbol | |
| In Unicode | U+2122 ™TRADE MARK SIGN (HTML™) |
| Different from | |
| Different from | U+2120 ℠SERVICE MARK U+00AE ®REGISTERED SIGN |
| Related | |
| See also | U+1F16A 🅪RAISED MC SIGN U+1F12E 🄮CIRCLED WZ U+24C2 ⓂCIRCLED LATIN CAPITAL LETTER M |
Thetrademark symbol™ is asymbol to indicate that the preceding mark is atrademark, specifically anunregistered trademark. It complements theregistered trademark symbol® which is reserved for trademarks registered with an appropriate government agency.[1]
In Canada, an equivalentmarque de commerce symbol, (U+1F16A 🅪RAISED MC SIGN) is used in French.[2] Canada also has anofficial mark symbol,⟨Ⓜ⟩, to indicate that a name or design used by Canadian public authorities is protected.[3] Some German publications, especially dictionaries, also use aWarenzeichen grapheme, (U+1F12E 🄮CIRCLED WZ), which is informative and independent of the actual protection status of the name.[4]
Use of the trademark symbol indicates an assertion that a word, image, or other sign is a trademark; it does not indicate registration or impart enhanced protections. Registered trademarks are indicated using theregistered trademark symbol,®, and in many jurisdictions it is unlawful or illegal to use the registered trademark symbol with a mark that has not been registered.[5]
Theservice mark symbol,℠, is used to indicate the assertion of aservice mark (a trademark for the provision of services). The service mark symbol is less commonly used than the trademark sign, especially outside the United States.
Onsocial media, the trademark symbol has seen use in anironic fashion, highlighting a concept as if it were important enough to warrant its own trademark, for example, "Official Bisexual Haircut™".[6][7] This is a non-standard usage of the symbol, which confers no special legal rights.
The letters⟨T⟩ and⟨M⟩ are sometimes seen paired in an attempt to emulate the trademark symbol. Methods include