Cartoon stick figure pointing towards a chalkboard with “Jet Ski” written in large chalk letters — representing a blog post about personal watercrafts and the Jet Ski word mark trademark registration.

Trademark: Jet Ski

First Used: May 31, 1973

Registered: May 27, 1986

Current Owner: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA (KAWASAKI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.) [1]

Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark

Primarily Associated With: boats, namely recreational watercraft [2]

Generic Phrase: personal watercraft, as in JET SKI® Brand personal watercraft

Also A Trademark For: motor oil, tarpaulins, clothing, and water floatation ski vests [3]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [4]:

A personal watercraft (PWC), also known as a water scooter, is a small recreational watercraft propelled by an inboard water jet engine. Typically designed to only hold one or two people, on a personal watercraft the operator sits, stands, or kneels on the vessel, rather than inside it. Some of the most famous personal watercraft brands include Jet Ski® (Kawasaki) [5], Wave Runner® (Yamaha) [6] (with its iconic Visibility Spout), and Sea-Doo® (Bombardier) [7].

The concept of a personal watercraft dates back to mid-20th century Europe, where small, handlebar-controlled vessels known as "water scooters" were developed but never gained popularity. The idea gained new life in the 1960s when Norwegian-American motorcyclist and inventor Clayton Jacobson II crashed his motorcycle and began searching for a safer way to experience the thrill of high-speed riding. Inspired by water skiing, Jacobson designed a stand-up aluminum prototype that functioned like a motorcycle on water. Jacobson initially licensed his invention to Bombardier, who released the Sea-Doo® personal watercraft in 1968, but it also failed to gain popularity initially.

Kawasaki, which saw the potential for a commercially viable PWC, worked closely with Jacobson to refine the concept, leading to the launch of its first mass-produced personal watercraft in the early 1970s. The Kawasaki Jet Ski JS400 entered the market in 1973 and was an immediate hit. Unlike its predecessors, the Jet Ski personal watercraft was lightweight, maneuverable, and designed for high-performance water sports. Although initially a stand-up watercraft, over time, Kawasaki expanded the Jet Ski lineup to include sit-down models, broadening its appeal to recreational riders. Despite competition from rivals, Jet Ski has maintained strong brand recognition, benefiting from its early market dominance and Kawasaki’s continued engineering innovations.

[1] Kawasaki, https://www.kawasaki.com/en-us/.

[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,394,547, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73461685&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[3] Id.

[4] Jet Ski vs Wave Runner: Key Differences Explained, HISEA DOCK, last updated January 9, 2025, and available at https://www.hiseadock.com/jet-ski-vs-wave-runner-differences/; History of Personal Watercraft, Montrose Loudermilk PowerSports, posted January 31, 2023, and available at https://www.montroseloudermilkpowersports.com/blog/history-of-personal-watercraft; A Brief History of Jet Skis, COOL BREEZE, posted August 31, 2022, and available at https://coolbreezeboatrentals.com/2022/08/a-brief-history-of-jet-skis/; History of Jet Ski, RED BULL, posted March 21, 2021, and available at https://www.redbull.com/mea-en/history-of-jet-ski.

[5] Id. At 2.

[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,508,023, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73703080&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,532,911, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73605044&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.