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Subject:Re: Use of (TM) and (R) symbols in running text From:Marc Brinker <mbrinker -at- PRECISIONCS -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 14 Nov 1997 10:14:21 -0800
NICOLE CANTER wrote:
> I have really been trying to find out what the mainstream does with
> trademarks. I regularly use the Chicago Manual of Style, which says
> The symbols (R) and (TM), which often accompany registered trademark
> names on product packaging and in advertisements, need not be used in
> running text.
>
> One of the things I do at work is publish a IT newsletter and product
> names are all over it. Does anyone know what writers usually do about
> trademark symbols in running text? My company doesn't have a style
> manual of its own and no one in my department has a preference.
I think it depends on your context and intent, to some degree. In the
installation, parts, and troubleshooting manuals I develop for my
company, we often use our own trademarked names. In addition, we also
use those of engine manufacturers (on whose products ours are
installed). In a meeting with our attorneys, the guideline presented
was: always use the (tm) or registrada (r) where appropriate with the
FIRST INSTANCE of the trademark on the page. Thereafter it can be
omitted ON THAT PAGE. (This, of course, is a nightmare when one must
reflow the text in the document).
The risk of not using these guidelines properly is the "dilution" of the
trademark - and in some cases, the company's legal right to use it. So I
think it depends on how you use the trademark and how committed you are
to the holder of the trademark. I think for a newsletter, it doesn't
make sense to include the marks. However, it makes a lot of sense to
simply state "Iomega's Zip disk product" or "Kleenex brand tissues" the
first time you mention the product. Thereafter, simply "Zip disks" would
suffice. This is a fairly clean way to handle it, and is still fair to
the manufacturer.
Did you know only catsup made by Heinz is Ketchup (r)??
Marc Brinker
Technical Writer
Jacobs Vehicle Systems, Inc.
(manufacturer of Jake Brake(r) braking systems)
