In today's world, unless you are living in the middle of the
Sahara Desert or somewhere equally remote, it is impossible to
avoid trade marks. For most of us, whether we realise it or not,
exposure to trade marks is pretty much continual from the moment we
get up in the morning to the moment we go to bed.
So what do I mean by 'trade mark'? In a nutshell, a
trade mark is any sign which is used to indicate that a
product or service comes from a particular person or company. The
most common trade marks are brand names
(think Lego, Chanel, Coca-Cola, Google),
logos (think Audi's interlinked
circles, the golden arches of McDonalds, the Nike
'swoosh/tick'), and slogans
(think 'Because you're worth it', 'Snap! Crackle!
Pop!', 'The World's Local Bank'). However, shapes,
colours and even sounds can act as trade marks.
