™ vs ® vs © — What is the Difference?

Trade Mark Sign

The ™ symbol indicates that a word, phrase, logo or design is being claimed as a trademark by a business or individual.

Use ™ when you have not yet registered your trademark, or when registration is pending. It signals that you consider the mark to be yours, but it has not been officially registered.

Using ™ provides limited common law protection in some countries, but is not as strong as a registered trademark.

A new startup can write their brand name followed by ™ to claim it as their trademark before going through the registration process.

Registered Trade Mark

The ® symbol means the trademark has been officially registered with the relevant government trademark office (e.g., the USPTO in the USA, or the IPO in the UK).

Use ® only after your trademark has been approved and registered. Using ® on an unregistered trademark is illegal in most countries.

Registered trademarks have much stronger legal protection. You can sue for infringement and claim damages.

Major brands like Coca-Cola® and Nike® have registered their names and logos, allowing them to take legal action against counterfeit products.

Copyright Sign

The © symbol indicates that a creative work is protected by copyright. This applies to written works, music, art, films, software, and other creative content.

Copyright exists automatically when you create an original work — you do not need to register it. Adding © simply makes your claim explicit and visible.

Copyright protects the specific expression of an idea, not the idea itself. It prevents others from copying, distributing or adapting your work without permission.

Authors put © [Year] [Name] at the start of their books. Websites put © 2024 [Company Name] in their footer.