A trademark can be a word but cannot be a symbol.

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Question restatement: The prompt presents a statement and asks whether it is true or false: “A trademark can be a word but cannot be a symbol.”
Option 1: True. This claim is inaccurate because trademarks do not have to be limited to words only; they can also be symbols, designs, logos, sounds, colors, or a combination of these. In trademark law, a mark may be a word (e.g., a brand name), a symbol (e.g., a logo), or a stylized design, so describing trademarks as only words excludes many valid forms.
Option 2: False. This option aligns with how trademarks are actually defined in intellectual property law. Trademarks encompass a broad range of forms, including words, symbols, designs, and even combinations of word-and-design marks. The inclusion of symbols and other graphical or non-text elements means the statement is incorrect.
Why the incorrect options mislead:
- If you pick True, you might be thinking that trademarks must be textual, ignoring the long-standing acceptance of logos and symbolic marks as protectable identifiers. That assumption fails to capture the breadth of what can function as a trademark.
- If you pick False, you are recognizing the true breadth of trademark forms, but it’s helpful to emphasize examples: a pure word mark (like a brand name), a pictorial logo (a symbol), a non-traditional mark (colors, sounds under certain circumstances), and combined word-and-design marks all qualify as trademarks, provided they distinguish goods or services in commerce.
Additional nuance to consider:
- The requirement for distinctiveness and use in commerce remains, regardless of form. Some symbols must meet distinctiveness standards or acquire secondary meaning to be protected.
- There are registrability considerations depending on the jurisdiction (e.g., likelihood of confusion, inherent distinctiveness), but the fundamental point remains: trademarks are not restricted to words alone; symbols and other graphical marks are valid as well.
Overall conclusion (without stating it explicitly): The statement is not correct because it ignores the wide array of permissible trademark forms, including symbols, and therefore the true assessment is that the statement is false.

BUSI406 [Kubowicz Malhotra]: Principles of Marketing Chapter 8 Quiz

A trademark can be a word but cannot be a symbol.

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