Back to Trademark specimen

What does a product photo have to meet to be accepted as a trademark specimen?

Written by Jan Buza

Co-founder of Trama

A product photo submitted as a trademark specimen must meet the following requirements:

The photo must be legible and prominently feature the mark.
The photograph must be real and unaltered; digitally created or manipulated images are not acceptable.
The mark shown in the photo must match the mark as originally filed exactly.
The photo must make it clear what product is being sold under the mark; either through a visible product description, visible product contents, or by clearly showing the product itself.
The specimen must be from actual commerce, not a mock-up or prototype.

Related questions

FC Liverpool’s failure to attain “Liverpool” trademark: When 19 league titles just aren't enough

Acknowledging the full extent of brand infringement, FC Liverpool has attempted to register a trademark for the word Liverpool in an attempt to extend its scope of brand protection. These efforts have been unsuccessful following a heated public debate, with the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) rejecting the application due to the geographical significance of the city of Liverpool. Yet, Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur represent examples of football clubs that have succeeded in their efforts to register trademarks for the words Chelsea and Tottenham. This viewpoint explores the seemingly subtle, yet significant, differences in these cases and explores the wider implications for brand protection.

Trademark perspective on NFTs: New, Fabled and Thrilling

$40 billion estimated market value and 1,000+ fold increase in the number of trademark applications. Those are some of the breathtaking facts about non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that have captured substantial attention from the public, regulators, established brands and last but not least, IP specialists. This article presents a trademark perspective on NFTs, exploring this novel phenomenon and emerging issues.

Stories of our clients: ForZet, architecture and design studio

All architects have their own unique style. Successful projects speak for the architect and provide the most effective marketing strategy. In the field of architecture, it is the name of the architect which communicates quality and provides the basis for the brand’s success. Learn more about the story of ForZet, an architecture and design studio that has allowed Trama to help their brand protection efforts.