Can I Trademark a Common Word or Phrase as a Product Name or Brand Name?

00:05

If generic names can't be trademark, how does Amazon have a trademark?

00:10
Great question. You cannot protect a name if it is the general name for goods or services, for example. Gosh, I don't have I don't have an apple at my desk. Do you have an apple at your desk? That fruit?

00:24
I have an Apple iPhone.

00:27
I have an apple two. But Apple could not so see me with Amazon. How did Apple get trademarks on the word apple? They got it because they're not selling apples. They're selling computers, they actually, you know, now sell iPods and iPhones and all kinds of electronic devices. And that's how they can protect Apple because they're not protecting the general concept. Now, if Amazon was selling the Amazon, they couldn't get that name trademark, though, because they're selling books they can. So it's not. Yes, it's a general common term, but it's not used in that sense. Do you know what the word Uber stands for? Not not.

01:09
Like it's like Uber cool, like, super cool, right? Yeah.

01:15
It's like I am Uber handsome. But you're saying yes, Giovanni, thank you for that.

01:23
You're my boss.

01:25
You have to. So Uber can get protection for Uber because it doesn't mean ride sharing service. It means like something basically a step above. So there's nothing wrong with getting trademarks on words of the English language, as long as you're not protecting that use. So hopefully, that's clear. But will if not, you'd say this person's name was Andrew.

01:48
This person's I actually did not say the person's name that make yes the name was de lo actually, I have a feeling that's a pseudonym for download. Not on a percent sure. But that's what we have on the on the q&a. Okay. All right.

02:07
Is that if that didn't address the question about the generic name, feel free to go to the inventors mastermind, which is our Facebook group, and Jenny's one of our panelists. Jenny, if you can put that up in the chat box for the low and then he can ask further questions about the trademarks trademarks is a completely different field of its own.