Trademark

Updated: 10/01/2023 by Computer Hope

A Trademark may refer to any of the following:

TM or trademark symbol.

1. Abbreviated as TM, a trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a word, phrase, logo, or symbol that distinguishes one company or brand from another. It is usually an image or word that is easily recognized. Well-known trademarks include Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and Apple.

Trademarks are registered with the government, preventing other entities from using them without the company's consent. They are often denoted with a trademark symbol: the letter "R" in a circle or the letters "TM" in superscript.

Tip

Use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+T to insert a trademark symbol (™) in Microsoft Word.

Is a trademark the same as a Copyright?

No. A trademark protects a brand, logo, motto, or another identifier. A Copyright is a protection of intellectual property. For example, the content on this page is Copyrighted by the company "Computer Hope," which is trademarked.

Service mark vs. a trademark

An SM (service mark) is a type of trademark that registers a service instead of a good. For example, Computer Hope provides a service and therefore uses a service mark, but Microsoft produces goods and therefore uses a trademark.

2. With a domain name, .tm is the domain suffix for Turkmenistan.

3. TM is sometimes an abbreviation that describes the Windows Task Manager.

Business terms, Computer abbreviations, Service mark, Symbol