Trademark Registration

TM stands for trademark. SM stands for service mark. And the “®” symbol means that the trademark is federally registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. There is no registration requirement to use the TM or SM designations. They are used by trademark owners to give notice to others that the owner lays [...]

A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. A service mark is the same as a trademark, except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather [...]

So the PTO charges a processing fee of either $325 or $275 per trademark per class. What’s this “per trademark per class?” Well, trademarks are classified in one of 45 international classifications. Sometimes, a product may be classified in more than one classification. For example, some products are classified differently depending on the type of [...]

So you may be confused why the Patent and Trademark Office charges either $325 per trademark per class or $275 per trademark per class. Essentially, the difference lies in how you identify your product or service. The PTO has an Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual. If there is a description that identifies your [...]