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0 pointsIshKebab6d ago0 comments

That's not correct. You don't have to register a trademark in order for it to be protected, it's just recommended because if you do register it you don't have to separately prove that you have built up brand reputation. That should be pretty easy for a project as old and well-known as this though.

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ssl-36d ago

You're correct.

In very, very broad US-centric* strokes: Using a mark in trade is enough to establish a defensible trademark.

Registering a trademark can be useful, but it is also optional. At very least, registration helps make the ownership of the mark easier to discover and this can help everyone start on the right foot.

(* I'm not familiar at all with the laws of France, but that's fine: The alleged violation happened in New York.)

deaux6d ago

> In very, very broad US-centric* strokes: Using a mark in trade is enough to establish a defensible trademark.

Isn't that only if it's something that would actually qualify for a trademark?

For example, "Car Shop" or probably even "Hamburgers USA" would not qualify for a trademark due to being overly generic/descriptive (in many jurisdictions).

Now in Notepad++'s case the inclusion of the ++ obviously means it would indeed qualify.

Just asking as I'm sure there's people around here with personal experience around the topic, though again it can differ quite a bit by country.

FinnKuhn6d ago

Thank you for explaining this to me. That makes total sense!

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