When researching US trademark registration, you'll often run into the term "Word Mark." Here's why it matters for protecting your brand, and what types of trademarks exist.
What Is a Trademark?
A trademark is a mark that distinguishes your products or services from those of other companies. It can apply to a brand name, logo, or slogan, and in the US it's registered with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) for legal protection.
Main Types of Trademarks
Word Mark: Protects the brand name or phrase itself as plain text, independent of any specific font, color, or design. Because it protects "the word/phrase" itself, your protection stays intact even if you redesign your logo later. Most brands consider registering this first.
Design Mark: Protects the visual design of a logo itself. Because a specific combination of color, typeface, and imagery is what's protected, redesigning your logo may require a new registration.
Combined Mark: Protects the brand name text and logo design together as one unit. This can save on registration costs compared to registering a Word Mark and Design Mark separately, but if either the text or the design changes, the scope of protection can become ambiguous — which is why, in practice, many brands register a Word Mark and Design Mark separately.
Why Register the Word Mark First?
Logo designs often change as a brand grows through rebranding, but the brand name itself rarely changes. Registering the Word Mark first means your brand-name protection stays in place even if your logo changes — which is why brands with limited early-stage budgets often prioritize the Word Mark.
What to Check When Registering
USPTO trademark registration is done by product/service category (Class), so you need to accurately specify the categories your brand actually operates in. A trademark search to check for existing identical or similar marks is also an essential step before registering.
Key Takeaways
A Word Mark protects the brand name text itself, a Design Mark protects the logo design, and a Combined Mark protects both together. Because brand names tend to change less often than logos, most brands prioritize registering the Word Mark first.