Trademark symbol
Encyclopedia
The trademark symbol, designated by ™ (the letters TM written in superscript
style), is a symbol
used to provide notice that the preceding mark is a trademark
. Use of this symbol does not mean that the trademark has been registered. Registered trademarks are indicated using the Registered trademark symbol
(®). Anyone can use the ™ symbol.
The character is assigned in Unicode
as which is also designated by the HTML
entity ™. On Windows
systems, a superscript trademark symbol may be entered by means of Alt codes
, by holding the Alt key
while typing the numbers 0153 on the numeric keypad
. In the X Window System
, it may be entered with <Multi key
> . On Macintosh
systems, it may be entered with ⌥
2. In LaTeX
,
The service mark symbol
,℠, has a similar function and denotation.
Subscript and superscript
A subscript or superscript is a number, figure, symbol, or indicator that appears smaller than the normal line of type and is set slightly below or above it – subscripts appear at or below the baseline, while superscripts are above...
style), is a symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
used to provide notice that the preceding mark is a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
. Use of this symbol does not mean that the trademark has been registered. Registered trademarks are indicated using the Registered trademark symbol
Registered trademark symbol
The registered trademark symbol, designated by ® , is a symbol used to provide notice that the preceding mark is a trademark or service mark that has been registered with a national trademark office...
(®). Anyone can use the ™ symbol.
The character is assigned in Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
as which is also designated by the HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
entity ™. On Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
systems, a superscript trademark symbol may be entered by means of Alt codes
Alt codes
On personal computers running the Microsoft Windows or DOS operating systems, additional characters to those available in the current keyboard layout can be typed using an Alt code: pressing and holding the Alt key while entering a character code with the keyboard's numeric keypad...
, by holding the Alt key
Alt key
The Alt key on a computer keyboard is used to change the function of other pressed keys. Thus, the Alt key is a modifier key, used in a similar fashion to the Shift key. For example, simply pressing "A" will type the letter a, but if you hold down either Alt key while pressing A, the computer...
while typing the numbers 0153 on the numeric keypad
Numeric keypad
A numeric keypad, numpad or tenkey for short, is the small, palm-sized, seventeen key section of a computer keyboard, usually on the very far right. The numeric keypad features digits 0 to 9, addition , subtraction , multiplication and division symbols, a decimal point and Num Lock and Enter keys...
. In the X Window System
X Window System
The X window system is a computer software system and network protocol that provides a basis for graphical user interfaces and rich input device capability for networked computers...
, it may be entered with <Multi key
Compose key
A compose key, available on some computer keyboards, is a special kind of modifier key designated to signal the software to interpret the following sequence of two keystrokes as a combination in order to produce a character not found directly on the keyboard...
>
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
systems, it may be entered with ⌥
Option key
The Option key is a modifier key present on Apple keyboards. It is located between the Control key and Command key on a typical Mac keyboard. There are two option keys on modern Mac desktop and notebook keyboards, one on each side of the space bar....
2. In LaTeX
LaTeX
LaTeX is a document markup language and document preparation system for the TeX typesetting program. Within the typesetting system, its name is styled as . The term LaTeX refers only to the language in which documents are written, not to the editor used to write those documents. In order to...
,
\texttrademark is used. Apple's iOS keyboards (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch) support the symbol in iOS's 5 and above.The service mark symbol
Service mark symbol
The service mark symbol, designated by ℠ , is a symbol commonly used in the United States to provide notice that the preceding mark is a service mark. This symbol has some legal force, and is typically used for service marks not yet registered with the U.S...
,℠, has a similar function and denotation.
See also
- Australian trade mark law
- Canadian trade-mark lawCanadian trade-mark lawCanadian trade-mark law provides protection to marks statutorily under the Canadian Trade-marks Act and also at common law. Trade-mark law provides protection for distinctive marks, certification marks, distinguishing guises, and proposed marks against those who appropriate the goodwill of the mark...
- Trademark law
- United Kingdom trade mark lawUnited Kingdom trade mark lawA trademark is a way for one party to distinguish themselves from another. In the business world, a trademark provides a product or organisation with an identity which cannot be imitated by its competitors....
- United States trademark lawUnited States trademark lawTrademarks were traditionally protected in the United States only under State common law, growing out of the tort of unfair competition. As early as 1791, Thomas Jefferson proposed that the marks of sailcloth makers could be protected under the Commerce Clause, but it was not until 1870 that...