Wordmark

A wordmark or word mark is a distinct text-only typographic treatment of the name of a product, service, company, organization, or institution which is used for purposes of identification and branding. A wordmark can be an actual word (e.g., Apple), a made-up name that reads like a word (e.g., Google), or an acronym, initialism, or a series of letters (e.g., IBM).

In many jurisdictions, such as the United States and European Union, a wordmark may be registered as a trademark, making it a protected intellectual property.

Unlike names and logos, trademarked wordmarks are generally not case-sensitive and are listed in uppercase by trademark registrars such as the United States Patent and Trademark Office, even if they are always cased in a certain way by the owner; this gives the trademark holder rights no matter how the wordmark is presented. Some examples are shown in the sidebar.

In the United States, the legal term "word mark" refers only to the text, not to any graphical representation.

In most cases, wordmarks cannot be copyrighted, as they do not reach the threshold of originality.