The registered trademark symbol, denoted as ®, is a typographic glyph used to indicate that a preceding word, phrase, logo, or other identifier has been officially registered with a national trademark office and is protected by trademark law.
Design and Encoding
- Unicode: U+00AE (LATIN CAPITAL LETTER R IN CIRCUMFERENCE)
- HTML Entity:
®or® - UTF‑8 Encoding: 0xC2 0xAE
Legal significance
In jurisdictions that recognize trademark registration, the presence of the ® symbol serves as public notice of a claim of exclusive rights. It can deter infringement and may affect the calculation of damages in legal disputes. The symbol is permitted only after a trademark has been granted registration; its premature or incorrect use can constitute false advertising or lead to penalties.
Usage guidelines
- The symbol is placed immediately after the trademark without a space (e.g., Coca‑Cola®).
- It is typically used in marketing materials, product packaging, and online content where the trademark appears.
- In some style guides, the symbol may be omitted in body text for readability, provided that the trademark registration is indicated elsewhere (e.g., in a footnote or trademark statement).
Historical background
The ® symbol originated in the United States following the Trademark Act of 1905, which introduced the requirement for a designated mark to denote registration. Over time, similar practices were adopted internationally, and the glyph became standardized across typefaces and digital character sets.
Related symbols
- ™ (U+2122): Trademark symbol for unregistered marks.
- ℠ (U+2120): Service mark symbol for unregistered service marks.
References
- United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). “Trademark Basics.”
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). “Guidelines for the Use of the ® Symbol.”
- Unicode Consortium. “Unicode Standard, Version 15.0.”
This entry adheres to an objective, factual presentation of the registered trademark symbol.
