A “trademark” is a word, design, slogan, color combination, sound, smell, or a combination of any of the foregoing, used by a manufacturer or merchant to identify its goods and/or services and distinguish it from others. Trademarks include:

• brand names which identify goods, e.g., “Coca Cola” for a soft drink;
  
• service marks which identify services, e.g., “Marriott” for hotel services;
  
• certification marks which identify goods or services meeting certain qualifications, e.g., “UL” for appliances meeting the safety standards of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.; and
  
• collective marks which identify goods, services or members of a collective organization, e.g., “AFL-CIO” for union locals.

The same legal principles generally apply to all of these terms, often simply called “marks”.

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