Cartoon stick figure holding a trophy next to a whiteboard displaying the Golden Globes — representing a blog post about Golden Globes’ trademark registrations.

Trademark: Golden Globe

First Used: 1943

Registered: 2000

Current Owner: GOLDEN GLOBES, LLC [1]

Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark; non-traditional trademark; trade dress; configuration mark

Primarily Associated With: entertainment in the nature of an award ceremony promoting excellence in the field of popular entertainment [2]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [3]:

The Golden Globes (or GOLDEN GLOBE® [4] or HOLLYWOOD'S PARTY OF THE YEAR® [5] if you prefer) is an annual awards show recognizing outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television. Within the entertainment industry, the Golden Globes is often viewed as one of the most important awards ceremonies for both movies (alongside the Academy Awards) and television (alongside the Emmy Awards).

The first Golden Globe awards ceremony was held in January 1944 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), a small group of foreign journalists covering the American film industry who decided to create an annual awards ceremony to honor excellence in film. The first ceremony was held as a modest luncheon on the 20th Century-Fox lot, recognizing films released in 1943. The awards were first presented as scrolls, and Jennifer Jones was awarded Best Actress honors for The Song of Bernadette, which also won for Best Film, while Paul Lukas took home Best Actor for Watch on the Rhine.

In 1951, the Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Actress categories were further split into two genre categories (drama and musical or comedy), and in 1956, television award categories were added for the first time. Today, the Golden Globes honors achievements across 28 categories, including 15 for movies, 12 for television, and 1 for the newest addition: Best Podcast.

GOLDEN GLOBE® is a registered word mark for a variety of goods and services, including entertainment in the nature of an award ceremony promoting excellence in the field of popular entertainment [6], association services, namely promoting the progress and achievement of professionals in the fields of popular entertainment and journalism [7], and Printed matter, namely, booklets, pamphlets, and informational flyers in the fields of the entertainment industry and journalism [8].

The Golden Globes Trophy configuration mark [9] is also a non-traditional trademark, registered for promoting the progress and achievement of professionals in the fields of journalism and entertainment; charitable services, namely, providing financial support to other organizations that provide a wide variety of educational and cultural activities connected with the entertainment industry; and entertainment in the nature of award ceremonies and award ceremony television shows in the field of motion pictures and television.

[1] Golden Globes, https://goldenglobes.com/.

[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,424,703, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75749028&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[3] Golden Globes History, GOLDEN GLOBES, available at https://goldenglobes.com/history-golden-globes/; Vintage Photos Show Hollywood Icons Mingling At The Golden Globes, BUSINESS INSIDER, posted January 9, 2026, and available at https://www.businessinsider.com/golden-globes-vintage-photos; Golden Globe Award, BRITANNICA, last updated January 11, 2026, and available at https://www.britannica.com/art/Golden-Globe-Award; History of the Golden Globe Awards & Some of its Controversies, REMIND MAGAZINE, posted January 7, 2024, and available at https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/9479/history-golden-globe-awards-controversies/; 11 Surprising Facts About the Golden Globes That Steal the Show, MENTAL FLOSS, posted January 9, 2026, and available at https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/movies/facts-about-golden-globes.

[4] Id. at 2.

[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 5,514,063, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86599120&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[6] Id. at 2.

[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,381,145, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75749029&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[8] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,422,897, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75749030&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[9] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 7,282,818, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=90877923&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.