The research suggests that by far the most popular classes for
hashtag trademarks include goods and services such as entertainment, online retail, advertising and clothing / fashion.
However, the US still registered the most
hashtag trademarks in 2016 (608), followed by Brazil (226) and India (141) in second and third place.
The Colombian broadcaster RCN Television S.A. applied for 50 different
hashtag trademarks over the course of the year; all of them related to its Grita Gol football programming.
This is reflected in new trademark research conducted by CompuMark, which found that the number of
hashtag trademark applications globally in 2016 saw an increase of 64 % compared to the previous year.
The research also found that the US is far and away the global leader when it comes to the number
hashtag trademark applications in 2016 — an impressive 608 in total — but its total percentage share for the year was actually down to 28 % compared with 25 % in 2015.
The research also shows that while global
hashtag trademark applications are on the rise and the US remains the leader in the number of these marks applied for — 33 % of all applications since 2010 — the country's total share of applications in 2016 was down to 28 %, compared with 35 % in 2015.
The company that applied for the most
hashtag trademark applications in 2016 was Colombian - based broadcaster RCN Television S.A. with 50 registrations related to its Grita Gol football programming.
Not exact matches
You represent and warrant that: (i) you own the Photos you tag using the
hashtag #southmoonunder or otherwise have the right to grant the rights and licenses set forth in these terms and conditions; (ii) the posting and use of your Photos on South Moon Under's page or timeline on Twitter, Instagram, or Faceook and on the website located at southmoonunder.com, does not violate, misappropriate or infringe on the rights of any third party, including, without limitation, privacy rights, publicity rights, copyrights,
trademark and / or other intellectual property rights; and (iii) you have the legal right and capacity to enter into these terms and conditions.
The accompanying
hashtag #TFANW has also been
trademarked.
Indie authors labeled the situation as
trademark bullying at its finest, thus, the birth of the
hashtags (#cockygate, #byefaleena, and #freecocky), all dedicated to Hopkins.
Once the public become used to seeing
hashtags as registered
trademarks, the difference between, say, ARAMA and #ARAMA ceases to be relevant.
«More to the point, a good
hashtag is both catchy and descriptive; and descriptiveness is a problem when registering a
trademark.
«
Hashtags have become something of a fad in
trademark circles, and that's no surprise given the advertising spend on social media these days.
CompuMark, the industry leader for
trademark research and protection, has announced the findings of its latest research into the
trademarking of
hashtags, with a global growth of 64 % in 2016 from the previous year.
Scarinci Hollenbeck attorneys are well - versed on everything from
trademark protection for
hashtags, user names, and brand identities to compliance with social media policies.
The survey also uncovered interesting international results around unusual
trademark applications;
trademark professionals in France showed a higher than average interest in
trademarks for
hashtags and sounds, while German respondents filed for more color and smell
trademarks.
The repercussions of not
trademarking a
hashtag would be the same as infringement on
trademarks of other kinds.
Do you think the reasons behind
trademarking these
hashtags outweigh the cost and litigation process?