Helpful Information / Articles: Trademarks - Selecting a Trademark
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To be protected as a trademark, the mark must be distinctive. The strength of a mark varies depending on how distinctive the mark is.

Strongest Trademarks - Arbitrary and Fanciful:

Coined (made up) words such as XEROX®;

Ordinary words not associated with the product, e.g., Sunlight® or Cascade® for dish detergent;

Considered Inherently Distinctive.

Next strongest trademarks - Suggestive:

Indirectly describe or "suggest" the goods or services they identify, e.g., Coppertone® for suntan oil;

Considered Distinctive because some thought is needed to make the connection between the mark and the product or service it identifies.

Less strong - Descriptive Marks:

Describes the product or service they identify;

Cannot be registered on Principal register unless they have attained secondary meaning, which means the public has come to associate the mark with the product or service it identifies.

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