Tennessee Combined Declaration of Use and Incontestability of Trademark
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Description
A "trademark" is a word, design or combination used by an individual or a business to identify its goods or services. In some cases a trademark can also be a sensory mark--a sound, a color or a smell. While marks identifying services rather than goods are technically referred to a "service marks" we will use the term trademarks to include service marks. Trademarks protect names used to identify goods (or services) and their source of origin. The law protects trademarks in part because trademarked items tend to carry with them certain quality assurances-one would expect an automobile carrying the Rolls Royce trademark to be far superior to most other automobiles. You may use any kind of name or symbol as a trademark to identify your product.
A mark is any word, name, symbol, or design that identifies a product or service. A trademark identifies a product (for example, Coca Cola). A service mark identifies a service (for example, Holiday Inn). A mark may be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) if the mark distinguishes a person's product or service from products or services of competitors. Registration of a mark on the Principal Register of the USPTO entitles a person the exclusive use of the mark. Registration can also be accomplished with a State (usually with the Secretary of State of a particular state). However, State registration does not provide as much protection as Federal registration. Before a mark can be registered, it must be used by the "owner," and it must distinguish goods or services from others. The owner of a mark cannot register it with the United States Patent and Trademark Office unless the mark is used in interstate commerce.
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