Registered trademarks “®”
Use the registered trademark symbol the first time the word or phrase is used on a page in the location where it is most prominent. Overuse of the symbol creates visual and aural clutter, (for screen-reader users) detracting from the overall message of the page. A single conspicuous use is sufficient, usually on the first instance of the mark or most prominent display of the mark.
It is not legal to use the registered trademark symbol if it is not registered. See the University General Counsel for advice on the registration of a mark of any kind.
FDU registered trademarks
The registered trademark symbol, ®, is used to prevent misuse of a word or phrase that is intended to be used exclusively by FDU. FDU has only a few registered trademarks.
- Latino Promise Program®
- Puerta Al Futuro®
- Gateway to the Future®
- PublicMind®
- The Leader in Global Education Fairleigh Dickinson University Fortiter et Sauviter®
Use the registered trademark symbol (® in HTML) immediately to the right of the text. It is also available in the Special Character icon (shaped like Omega). It is appropriate to superscript the mark, but not necessary.
- The word “program” is part of the Latino Promise Program. It should be capitalized.
- Use “program” in lower case when writing about the Puerta Al Futuro and Gateway to the Future “programs.”
- The registration for PublicMind is still active. The name of the poll has been changed, however, to FDU Poll which is not a registered trademark.
Resources:
- Start at www.uspto.gov
- In the upper right, look for the Find It Fast section.
- Expand Trademarks.
- First listing there is for TESS (Trademark Electronic Search System).
- Click there to open the TESS landing page.
- On that page, click the first option: Basic Word Mark Search (New User)
- For Search term enter Farleigh Dickinson University
- New line says Field. Use the pulldown box there to change from Combined Word Mark to Owner Name and Address.
- Click Submit query.
Trademarks of partners
FDU occasionally publishes a non-FDU trademarked brand logo when it is a necessary product or service that is part of an FDU educational program.
For example, the US Department of Veterans Affairs has trademarked the term GI Bill®, and we are required to use the symbol along with the term “GI Bill” since we are eligible to receive VA education benefits. The use of this trademark protects military families from deceptive promotional practices. These students would not be able to use our services without our partnership with the USVA.
A partner service or product is something this is essential for the student to complete their educational endeavor at FDU. For example, we may teach from a branded set of materials, or a student may have to complete a year of study in a program at another institution. Those products or services could appear with their logo and/or registered trademark.
Non-partner brands on the FDU website
We should not use the registered trademark symbol on our website for brands and trademarks that do not belong to FDU or are not our partners.
Capitalization of other trademarked products and companies is used to recognize a trademarked word for phrase. In the event that you need to write about a common brand that begins with a lower-case letter, like iPad, you should use the case as provided so that it is easily recognizable by the reader. Although the name Amazon appears in their logo in lowercase, they write about themselves with an initial cap. Treat a trademarked name or phrase as you would any proper noun.