Velcro

Traditional TMs

Mar 6

Written By Justin Powley

Cartoon stick figure with strap-on shoes pointing towards a chalkboard with “Velcro” written in large chalk letters — representing a blog post about the Velcro word mark trademark registration.

Trademark: Velcro

First Used: 1956

Registered: 1975

Current Owner: VELCRO BVBA [1]

Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark

Primarily Associated With: separable fasteners-namely, hook and loop-type fasteners and components thereof [2]

Generic Phrase: hook and loop fasteners

Also A Trademark For: medical splints and straps [3]; safety straps [4]; molded and extruded plastic material having a surface of hooks or loops, for use in manufacture as components of hook and loop fastening systems [5]; fabrics and textiles and substitutes therefor [6]; adhesives for stationery and household use [7]; snap fasteners for securing tarpaulins [8]; general purpose plastic bags [9]; toy figurines and playsets therefor [10]; and hook and loop fasteners sold as components of apparel [11]; among many other goods and services.

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [12]:

In 1941, Swiss engineer George de Mestral was inspired by a simple yet persistent natural occurrence—burrs clinging to his dog’s fur during a hike. Intrigued by the tiny hooks on the burrs that latched onto fabric and hair, he set out to develop a textile fastener that mimicked this mechanism. His innovation required extensive experimentation, particularly in crafting the "hook" side of the fastener, which proved more challenging than the “loop” side of the fastener. While working in Lyon, France, de Mestral discovered that Nylon thread had the durability and flexibility needed for the invention. By modifying a device similar to barbershop clippers, he successfully created a method for cutting loops into tiny hooks, bringing his vision to life.

The result was a revolutionary fastening system which he patented in 1955. The product was commercialized under the brand name Velcro®, an amalgam of the French words “Velour” (velvet) and “Crochet” (hook). Velcro is now a registered trademark in almost every country around the world: over 1,000 trademark registrations in total!

Special shoutout: Velcro has THE GOLD STANDARD for brand websites to fight trademark genericide. The perfect mix of humor and knowledge. If you have not already, do yourself a favor and check out the “Don’t Say Velcro” video on their brand website, available at https://www.velcro.com/original-thinking/the-velcro-brand-trademark-guidelines/dont-say-velcro/. Absolutely iconic brand awareness initiative.

[1] Velcro, https://www.velcro.com/.

[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1027417, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73043946&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[3] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,031,355, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73047721&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[4] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,044,049, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73072951&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,598,591, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73825315&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,705,079, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74188577&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,220,407, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75398727&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[8] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,225,651, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75403994&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[9] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,881,735, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86732978&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[10] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 5,873,177, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=88354307&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[11] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 7,321,401, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=97792390&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[12] About Us, VELCRO, available at https://www.velcro.com/about-us/; Our Story, VELCRO, available at https://www.velcro.com/original-thinking/our-story/; Velcro Brand Trademark Guidelines, VELCRO, https://www.velcro.com/original-thinking/the-velcro-brand-trademark-guidelines/.