Back to Logo vs name trademark

Which is the more likely to be registered - logo or text?

Senior Trademark Attorney

Neither application type is more likely to succeed. Both logos and wordmarks are assessed on the same fundamental criteria: distinctiveness and absence of conflicts with earlier marks.

In practice, wordmarks are slightly more predictable to assess, since similarity searches are text-based. Figurative marks involve visual comparison, which can sometimes be harder to predict. However, figurative marks can have an advantage where a descriptive name is involved: adding a distinctive visual element can lift the overall mark's distinctiveness above the threshold for registration.

The most reliable predictor of registration success is not the type of mark but how distinctive it is and how clear the competitive landscape is.

Related questions

Can you change your trademark over time?

Brands tend to evolve and undergo numerous changes over time. Many companies have changed their names to cater to a larger audience, either by altering their original logos for a more modern look or abandoning controversial words in their slogans. As the company expands beyond its planned offerings of goods and services or decides to take a different direction altogether, usually what follows are certain changes or even complete rebranding. A common question is then: can trademarks change over time? Well, it depends.

Lindt secured another win for its chocolate bunny trademark in the EU

The Federal Supreme Court ruled that the gold-coloured foil-wrapped chocolate bunny from Lindt & Sprüngli can claim trademark protection against the competing product from Lidl. Lidl is no longer allowed to sell its rabbit because of the risk of confusion and must destroy existing copies of the product.

Should you trademark your domain name?

Intellectual property of a brand does not end with its name or logo, but can also cover domain name. If you want to reinforce your brand name and ensure visibility of your business online, you should consider trademarking your domain name.