NON-TRADITIONAL TRADEMARKS

“Alright alright alright.” With those three words in the 1993 movie Dazed and Confused, Matthew McConaughey the movie star was born. But did you know that the iconic phrase is also a rare trademark trifecta?

The DoALL company was founded in 1927, when Illinois inventor Leighton A. Wilkie built one of the world’s first metal-cutting band saws and launched a company that would quietly reshape the industrial cutting industry.

The VASELINE® brand has gone by a variety of generic names in the past, including healing jelly, petroleum jelly, and (originally before the brand was created) “rod wax.” Not entirely surprisingly for a brand first founded in the 1800s, it has also utilized a wide variety and types of product jars. Let’s take a look!

The MAKER’S MARK® brand is often credited with completely changing the American Whiskey market, including how whiskey was marketed. One of the big visual differentiators? The Maker’s Mark Wax Seal position mark, with its distinctive drips of red wax positioned on the neck of whisky bottles.

In the early 1990s, Porsche was running on fumes due to a poor economy and high production costs. The solution that save the company arrived in 1996 (as a 1997 model) as the Porsche Boxster, a modern, agile roadster priced below the 911 and aimed at a younger audience.

The design and configuration of a Porsche 911 is a protected non-traditional trademark, but did you know that the iconic sports car got its name from a trademark dispute?

Many different smells might come to mind when you think of a bowling alley, some good, but mostly bad. If the bowling ball smelled like mint, you may have encountered a Storm bowling ball bearing the Storm Bowling Ball scent mark – one of the few scent trademark registrations!

Upper Deck uses three hologram marks today, including the Upper Deck Oval hologram mark, the Upper Deck Logo-Shaped hologram mark, and the Upper Deck Diamond hologram mark.

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays for advancing to the 2025 World Series! This week we will be highlighting some World Series related trademark registrations, including those owned by Major League Baseball, the Dodgers, and the Blue Jays. Play ball!

Consistency has been a hallmark of the Sharpie brand over the last 60+ years. Since the beginning in 1964, Sharpie permanent markers have also maintained a remarkable consistency in appearance. Today, the configuration of Sharpie brand permanent markers is a registered non-traditional trademark.

Congratulations to the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces for advancing to the 2025 WNBA® Finals! Over the next few days we will be highlighting some trademark registrations celebrating the WNBA’s championship game, including those owned by Phoenix and Las Vegas. Good luck to both teams!

Almost everyone remembers sharpening a bright yellow pencil with a green-and-yellow ferrule and pink eraser during their school days. That classroom staple was the TICONDEROGA®, a pencil so iconic its look has become as recognizable as its name.

In December 1948, the Globetrotters started using “Sweet Georgia Brown” as their signature theme, choosing it precisely because the playful bounce of Brother Bones’ whistling version of the song matched their fast-dribbling exhibitions and comic timing.

The Reese’s Orange color mark is a significant piece of trademark history – it is one of the oldest still-registered single color marks in the United States!

Dooney & Bourke’s big breakthrough came with the launch of the All-Weather Leather® handbags in the early 1980s, featuring a specially treated pebble-grained cowhide that was water-repellent and resistant to scuffs, giving the bags both durability and a distinct textured look.

The CHS Aluminum Fence Post position mark is a significant piece of trademark history – it is one of the oldest, still active position mark registration in the United States!

In 1992, Columbia Pictures hired artist Michael Deas to give the Columbia Lady a complete redesign. The studio used his painting as the basis for a new animated logo, which begins with a field of clouds before zooming out to reveal the figure and her torch. That Columbia Pictures motion mark debuted in 1993.

The Squeezer Trip Playing Card is both an important part of trademark history and an important part of playing card history.

Moroccanoil is the owner of two unique non-traditional trademark registrations: the Moroccanoil Packaging configuration mark and the Moroccanoil Scent mark (a distinct aroma the company calls Fragrance Originale).

The Qualitex Green-Gold color mark is an important piece of trademark history. It is one of the oldest, still-active color mark registrations in the United States. This color mark is also a primary reason that color marks exist today: it was the trademark registration at issue in the landmark Supreme Court case Qualitex Co. v. Jacobson Products Co., 514 U.S. 159 (1995).

The most famous sound on The Simpsons, and possibly the most famous catchphrase in television history, is Homer Simpsons’ “D’oh!” The origin of the D’oh! sound mark comes from the character’s long-time voice actor, Dan Castellaneta.

Summer is officially here! Whether you are craving a DILLY® Bar, BUSTER BAR®, PEANUT BUSTER® Parfait, BLIZZARD®, PECAN MUDSLIDE®, STARKISS®, ARCTIC RUSH®, or just a plain old THE CONE WITH THE CURL ON TOP®, the Dairy Queen brand has got your back.

Did you know the Game Boy was not Nintendo’s first handheld console? Before the Game Boy’s pixelated green screens took over the world, Nintendo released the Game & Watch on April 28, 1980.

Did you know that Nintendo’s home console journey did not begin with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) (known as the Famicom in Japan)? Nintendo released its first home console in Japan on June 1, 1977: the Color TV-Game.

The court is swept and the basketball is ready for tipoff. Congratulations to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers for advancing to the 2025 NBA® Finals! Over the next few days we will be highlighting some trademark registrations celebrating the NBA’s championship game, including those owned by Oklahoma City and Indiana. Good luck to both teams!

The ice is resurfaced and the puck is ready to be dropped. Congratulations to the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers for advancing to the 2025 STANLEY CUP® finals! Let’s take a look at trademark registrations celebrating the NHL’s championship game!

What if we told you that Christian Louboutin’s iconic red sole began with a bottle of nail polish? First starting as a “fortuitous accident,” today the Louboutin Red Sole position mark adorns red carpets and fashion editorials alike.