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Home > NewsRelease > Guide to Trademark Symbols: How and When to Use ®, TM, and SM
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Guide to Trademark Symbols: How and When to Use ®, TM, and SM
From:
Michael Kondoudis -- DC Trademark Lawyer Michael Kondoudis -- DC Trademark Lawyer
For Immediate Release:
Dateline: Washington, DC
Saturday, July 25, 2026

 
Trademark SymbolStatutory FrameworkGeographic JurisdictionFederal Customs Enforcement
® (Registered
Trademark)		 Federal Statutory Law
(The Lanham Act: 15 U.S.C. § 1051 et seq.)		 Nationwide Priority:
Establishes constructive public notice and legal ownership across all 50 U.S. states and territories, overriding local claims.		 Active Protection:
Eligible for recording with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to initiate border seizures of counterfeit goods.
TM(Unregistered
Trademark)		 State Statutory Law & Common Law
(State-level codes and regional judicial precedents)		 Localized Market Boundaries:
Protections are strictly limited to the specific geographic footprint where the physical goods are actively sold.		 Ineligible:
Unregistered markers grant no authority to engage federal border enforcement agencies.
SM(Unregistered
Service Mark)		 State Statutory Law & Common Law
(State-level codes and regional judicial precedents)		 Localized Market Boundaries:
Protections are strictly limited to the specific geographic footprint where the commercial services are actively rendered.		 Ineligible:
Unregistered markers grant no authority to engage federal border enforcement agencies.

About Michael Kondoudis

For more than twenty years, Michael Kondoudis has been the go-to trademarking expert for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Michael is a USPTO-licensed trademark and patent attorney, educator, speaker, and author of the Amazon best-seller: Going From Business to Brand. He is also an authority trusted by national news media on major trademark stories involving NFTs and the Metaverse. For more information, visit www.mekiplaw.com.
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Name: Eunice Lee
Group: The Law Office of Michael E. Kondoudis
Dateline: Washington, DC United States
Direct Phone: 855-635-4752
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