Protecting Brand Advertising – Slogans And Taglines

Below is an excerpt from John McKeown's January 2015 Mailer where he discusses protecting brand advertising.   

Slogans and Taglines

While advertising as a whole will not be protected under the Trademarks Act, slogans, sometimes referred to as taglines, may be. A slogan is a group of words or a phrase used to encourage consumers to purchase goods or services. A tagline may be included with a presentation of the brand name to help with the positioning of the brand by asserting particular strengths.

A slogan may be used for the purpose of distinguishing the wares or services of the brand owner from those of others and function as a trademark. In other cases the slogan will simply be part of the advertising used by the brand owner. Examples of well-known slogans are Nike's JUST DO IT® and General Electric's GE BRINGS GOOD THINGS TO LIFE®.