collective mark
Collective mark is a mark used only by the members of an association , cooperative or other collective organization. A collective organization may include an association, union, cooperative, fraternal society or other organized groups. Like trademarks and service marks , collective marks may consist of words, names, designs, symbols or any combination thereof and require an application for registration under the Lanham Act / trademark law .
There are two types of collective marks:
- Collective trademarks or collective service marks
- Collective membership marks
A collective trademark or collective service mark is used by the members of a collective organization to identify its goods and services and to distinguish them from those of non-members. The collective itself does not offer goods or services under the mark, but may advertise goods and services bearing its mark.
A collective membership mark is a mark adopted to indicate membership in a collective group. It is not used to identify and distinguish the source or origin of goods or services; its sole function is to indicate that the person displaying the mark is a member of an organized collective group. For example, AAA® indicates membership in the American Automobile Association.
See also : 15 U.S.C. § 1127
[Last reviewed in July of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team ]
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