Coca-Cola Logo
Trademark: Coca-Cola Logo
First Used: June 1887
First Registered: January 1893
Current Owner: The Coca-Cola Company [1]
Trademark Type: traditional trademark; design mark
First Associated With: tonic beverages [2]
Now A Trademark For: beverages and syrups for the manufacture of such beverages [3], keyrings, watches, wallets, dishware, and clothing [4], containers made of metal [5], glassware [6], among many others
Brief (and likely incomplete) History [7]:
The Coca-Cola Company is the owner of several timeless and historically significant trademark registrations, including the Coca-Cola Logo trademark (one of the first US design mark registrations) and the Coca-Bottle Bottle Shape trademark (the earliest, still active US shape mark registration).
Coca-Cola® was invented in 1886 by Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia. Initially marketed as a tonic for common ailments, the drink was made using coca leaf extract and kola nuts. Pemberton’s partner and bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, thought that using two Cs in the brand name would look better in advertising (compared to one C and one K), and the “Coca-Cola” brand was born. Asa Griggs Candler, another Atlanta businessman, acquired the formula in 1891 and helped transform Coca-Cola into the popular brand and beverage known today.
The Coca-Cola Logo was designed by Robinson using Spencerian script font, a flowing script that was a popular style at the time. The Coca-Cola Logo debuted in Coca-Cola advertising in Atlanta area newspaper ads starting in 1887. Over the years, the Coca-Cola Logo has remained remarkably consistent, with only minor tweaks to modernize it while preserving its classic feel. The Coca-Cola Logo’s timeless design has played a critical role in establishing the brand's visual identity and has become one of the most recognized logos worldwide.
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[1] Our Company, THE COCA-COLA COMPANY, https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us.
[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 22,406, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=70022406&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[3] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 238,146, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=71254695&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[4] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,287,644, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73406145&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,338,789, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73509019&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,342,741, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73509020&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[7] The Coca‑Cola logo story, THE COCA-COLA COMPANY, available at https://www.coca-cola.com/gb/en/media-center/coca-cola-logo-media-center; The evolution of the Coca-Cola logo, THE MARTIN GUIDE TO COCA-COLA MEMORBILLIA, available at https://www.earlycoke.com/evolution-of-the-coca-cola-logo; The Coca-Cola logo: a history from 1886 to today, CREATIVE BLOQ, last updated October 5, 2022, and available at https://www.creativebloq.com/news/coca-cola-logo-history.