Trademark Dictionary
Customary signs or indications refer to signs, symbols, or marks that have become customary in the current language or in the established practices of the trade. These signs or indications are often used to describe the characteristics or qualities of goods or services and are therefore considered to lack distinctiveness.
Examples of customary signs or indications include words like "deluxe", "premium", or "value" that are commonly used in the trade to describe the quality or value of a particular product. These words are considered customary because they are widely used in the industry and are not associated with any particular trademark owner.
Customary signs or indications are generally not registrable as trademarks because they are not capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one party from those of another party. However, in some cases, a customary sign or indication may acquire distinctiveness through extensive and continuous use, and may become eligible for registration as a trademark.
Adversity gives rise to greatness. The very idea to launch Natural Health Store came from facing the risk of redundancy. Nowadays, this family-owned business has created brand recognition worth protecting.
Tech-giant formerly known as Facebook announced a rebrand and a change of its name to Meta. Following that, there were many discussions about whether a company as big as Facebook could even end up holding a complete monopoly over such generic word given hundreds of already existing trademarks in the same field of services. The results of these disputes will be decisive for the future of Meta.
Timing is everything, and this is especially true when it comes to trademark registration. Choosing to trademark your brand at the right time is much more important than you would think.
