{"id":470903,"date":"2022-07-05T12:18:30","date_gmt":"2022-07-05T09:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/yes-your-company-can-trademark-a-color-heres-how\/"},"modified":"2022-07-05T12:18:30","modified_gmt":"2022-07-05T09:18:30","slug":"yes-your-company-can-trademark-a-color-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/yes-your-company-can-trademark-a-color-heres-how\/","title":{"rendered":"#Yes, your company can trademark a color \u2014 here\u2019s how"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f3f1d95766\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f3f1d95766\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/yes-your-company-can-trademark-a-color-heres-how\/#%E2%80%9CYes_your_company_can_trademark_a_color_%E2%80%94_heres_how%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Yes, your company can trademark a color \u2014 here\u2019s how&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/yes-your-company-can-trademark-a-color-heres-how\/#Psst%E2%80%A6\" >Psst&#8230;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/yes-your-company-can-trademark-a-color-heres-how\/#Know_the_legal_requirements\" >Know the legal requirements<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/yes-your-company-can-trademark-a-color-heres-how\/#Apply_for_the_color_trademark_ASAP\" >Apply for the color trademark ASAP<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/yes-your-company-can-trademark-a-color-heres-how\/#Hire_a_trademark_attorney\" >Hire a trademark attorney<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CYes_your_company_can_trademark_a_color_%E2%80%94_heres_how%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Yes, your company can trademark a color \u2014 here\u2019s how&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n                            <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/00251740610673332\/full\/html\">According to research<\/a>, up to 90% of consumers\u2019 snap judgments made about products can be based on color alone. Color also plays an important role in brand identity. Coca-Cola is red, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>\u2019s blue, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>A number of companies have actually succeeded in trademarking and \u201cowning\u201d colors that their competitors can\u2019t use.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, Tiffany &amp; Co has trademarked its shade of blue, T-Mobile magenta, and UPS its \u201cpullman brown.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper growth-quarters channel-cta hs-embed-tnw\">\n<div id=\"hs-embed-tnw\" class=\"channel-cta-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"channel-cta-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads.tnw\/uploads\/Boris1.gif\"\/><\/div>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/src=\" https:=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"channel-cta-input\">\n<h2 class=\"channel-cta-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Psst%E2%80%A6\"><\/span>Psst&#8230;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"channel-cta-tagline\">Get a weekly dose of entrepreneurial insights from TNW&#8217;s founder Boris<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Your company can also attempt to trademark a color, but it won\u2019t be that easy.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Know_the_legal_requirements\"><\/span>Know the legal requirements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/lanham_act\">Lanham Act<\/a> defines trademarks as, \u201cany word, name, symbol, device, or any combination thereof\u201d that\u2019s used to, \u201cidentify and distinguish one set of goods or services from other sources.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although colors aren\u2019t included in that definition, since 1995, they can be trademarked as part of a service or product, providing they meet <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tmep.uspto.gov\/RDMS\/TMEP\/current#\/current\/TMEP-1200d1e1975.html\">four conditions<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The color needs to work as a source of brand identification.<\/li>\n<li>It must not have a functional purpose \u2014 think yellow or orange for safety signs.<\/li>\n<li>It needs to show proof of \u201csecondary meaning.\u201d That is, the public has come to associate a color with a particular good or service.<\/li>\n<li>It doesn\u2019t put competitors at a disadvantage by affecting cost or quality.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Ticking all the boxes can prove challenging, especially when it comes to secondary meaning. <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Mills, for example, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.law360.com\/articles\/956940?scroll=1\">has failed to trademark yellow<\/a> for its Cheerios box. The court ruled that the color isn\u2019t a distinctive element of the brand, as it\u2019s commonly used by other cereal companies.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Apply_for_the_color_trademark_ASAP\"><\/span>Apply for the color trademark ASAP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You can file a trademark <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lication with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), even before you\u2019ve started using the color in commerce, or proven its secondary meaning.<\/p>\n<p>If the USPTO determines that the color mark isn\u2019t distinctive yet, but can be, if used consistently in the future, it will be registered on the Supplemental Register.<\/p>\n<p>The earlier filing could give you an advantage over competitors who might subsequently use the same color for their products or services.<\/p>\n<p>If the color mark is registered on the Supplemental Register, once it\u2019s achieved secondary meaning \u2014 typically after at least five years of continued use \u2014 you can reapply to register it on the Principal Register, which gives you the ultimate legal protection.<\/p>\n<p>In any case, make sure to define the desired color through the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pantone\">Pantone Matching System<\/a>, which is the court\u2019s preferred reference table.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hire_a_trademark_attorney\"><\/span>Hire a trademark attorney<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Navigating the legal waters can be challenging, and it\u2019s better to speak with a professional early on, before making a substantial investment.<\/p>\n<p>Trademark attorneys can check whether a color is available for use, and whether there are any similar color marks already being used in the relevant market that could impede registration, or result in lawsuits from competitors.<\/p>\n<p>They can also determine if a color should be modified to increase the probability of registration, and develop strategies to shorten the path to secondary meaning.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/heres-how-your-company-can-trademark-a-color\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Yes, your company can trademark a color \u2014 here\u2019s how&#8221; According to research, up to 90% of consumers\u2019 snap judgments made about products can be based on color alone. Color also plays an important role in brand identity. Coca-Cola is red, Facebook\u2019s blue, and so on. A number of companies have actually succeeded in trademarking&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":470904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/growth-quarters?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/07\/Untitled-design-92-2.jpg&signature=38adafcf3e799976090d6ed567b02494","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-470903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}