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Trademark Basics

Trademark: A name or symbol or combination of both which identifies the source of a product or service. In the case of licensed goods, a trademark indicated affiliation or sponsor rather than producer. In practice, a trademark also enhances the desirability of a product and, when properly controlled, can increase the value of the product as well as the goodwill inherent in the mark. For the purposes of this document, "trademark" is used to indicate any or all of the following: trademark, trade name, service mark, logo, insignia, indicia, emblem, symbol, identifying mark, mark, and name.

Registered Trademark: A trademark that has been registered with the federal government at the US Patent and Trademark Office. Federal registration provides additional protection against and remedies for trademark infringement.

Registered or Trademark symbol: The use of a registered symbol (®) or a trademark symbol (™) depends upon the product on which the trademark will be used. Please contact the Office of Licensing and Trademarks for up-to-date instructions on the proper use of legal notices.

Infringement: Unauthorized use of a trademark that belongs to another, or use of a trademark as similar to that of another as to cause the likelihood of confusion in the minds of the public as to the source (affiliation or sponsorship) of the product or service.  Please report infringement products on the infringement page.

Royalty Waiver Form: Students and campus organizations that wish to use University identifying marks on their internal-use merchandise must hire licensed vendors that have obtained prior permission to use University marks. The organizations must which states the purpose of those items this is extremely important to up-hold our brand standards.

Trade Dress: Refers to the distinctive, non-functional visual elements of a product, packaging, or service environment such as color schemes, shapes, layouts, or design features that identify the source of a brand to consumers. The UMass Licensing office maintains ownership of trade dress & determines distinctiveness on a case-by-case basis.

Social Responsibility

The University is committed to having licensed merchandise produced in a socially responsible manner. In support of this commitment, all ¾«¶«´«Ã½ licensees are required to sign and abide by the and to be members of the (FLA), disclose their factories of production and participate in ensuring that these factories have current audits on file.