I’m not a lawyer and don’t play one on TV either… so needless to say (apparently not), don’t take anything in this post as legal advice. If you want to protect your intellectual property you should speak to a lawyer.
How to add the Trademark Symbol on your WordPress Site:
Have you seen websites with the copyright symbol ©, the trade mark symbol ™ and the registered trademark symbol ® next to their brands?
If you don’t have a registered trademark you can still claim a trademark by putting a ™ next to your name.
This of course is not the same as having an official registered trademark but it is better than nothing. It basically publicly states that your claiming the trademark and offers some legal protection.
Registering a trademark can be expensive but this is the best way to protect your brand name. Whether you register a trademark or not it is important to defend your trademark in order for it to continue to be valid. If you see people using your trademark and don’t take steps to stop them then you will lose your trademark.
For more information about on this topic check out this detailed podcast episode on trademarks for podcasters.
Terms:
serv·ice markA service mark or servicemark is a trademark used in the United States and several other countries to identify a service rather than a product.[1] When a service mark is federally registered, the standard registration symbol ® or “Reg U.S. Pat & TM Off” may be used (the same symbol is used to mark registered trademarks). Before it is registered, it is common practice (with some legal standing) to use the service mark symbol ℠ (a superscript SM).
trade markWeb definitionsA trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a recognizable sign, design or expression which identifies products or services of a particular source from those of others. The trademark owner can be an individual, business organization, or any legal entity. …
cop·y·rightnounthe exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize others to do the same.“he issued a writ for breach of copyright”
So how do you put the Tradmark Symbol on your website?
It is simple.
You just have to put some html code in your post or page and your good to go.
Put the trademark code immediately following the name of your podcast or blog an it will display the trademark symbol. Make sure you are not using the visual editor or it will not convert the code to the trademark symbol.
The HTML code for the Unregistered Trademark Symbol ™ is ™ ;
The HTML code for the Unregistered Servicemark Symbol is ℠
The HTML code for a Registered Trademark or Servicemark is ®
Also, if your using WordPress go to Settings, General and place the code you are using in the Site Title field next to the name of your website. The code will display the trademark symbol you have chosen to use.
And that is all there is to it.
But remember that I’m only writing about how to display the trademark symbol and not whether you should register the trademark or not.
If you want to be sure that your podcast or blog has legal protection when it comes to your brand talk to an Intellectual Property Lawyer.
