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What requirements does a trademark specimen have to meet?

Written by Jan Buza

Co-founder of Trama

For the USPTO to accept a trademark specimen, it must meet the following requirements:

The specimen must be legible.
It must be a real photograph or screenshot; digitally created or altered images are not acceptable.
The mark shown on the specimen must match the mark as filed in the trademark application.
The specimen must show a clear connection between the trademark and the applied-for goods or services; it must be evident from the specimen what goods or services are being offered under the mark.
For goods: the specimen must show the mark on the product, its packaging, or a webpage where the goods are available for purchase, with a visible mechanism for ordering.
For services: the specimen must show the mark used in the sale, advertising, or rendering of the services.

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