A trademark or Service mark is a distinctive word, phrase, logo, Internet domain name, graphic symbol, slogan or other device that is used to identify the source of a product and to distinguish a manufacturer's or merchant's products from others. A mark may either be inherently distinctive or may become distinctive over time because customers come to associate the mark with the product or service. Consumers often make their purchasing choices on the basis of recognizable trademarks. For this reason, the main thrust of trademark law is to make sure that trademarks don't overlap in a manner that causes customers to become confused about the source of a particular product. However, in the case of trademarks that have become famous -- for example, Coca-Cola -- the courts are willing to prohibit all use of the trademark (or anything close to it) by anyone other than the famous mark's owner. This type of sweeping protection is authorized by Federal and state statutes (referred to as anti-dilution laws) designed to prevent the weakening of a
famous mark's reputation for quality.
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