Trademark

A trademark is a word, phrase, design, or other feature that primarily serves to identify the source of a product or service (a mark that identifies a service may be called a service mark). Drawing from the principle that consumers have a right to know the source of the things that they buy, most governments have created legal protections for trademarks, allowing the owner of the mark to take legal action against another party that uses a mark without permission. As international trade has increased, countries have entered into various treaties which make it easier for a mark in use in one country to gain protection in others.

Along with patents and copyrights, trademarks represent one of the three primary areas of intellectual property law.