Registered trademark symbol
Encyclopedia
The registered trademark symbol, designated by ® (the circled "R
"), is a symbol
used to provide notice that the preceding mark is a trademark
or service mark
that has been registered with a national trademark office. In some countries, including China, it is against the law to use the registered trademark symbol for a mark that is not officially registered in any country.
Trademarks not officially registered are instead marked with the trademark symbol
™, while unregistered service marks are marked with the service mark symbol
℠. The proper manner to display these symbols is immediately following the mark in superscript style.
as . The registered trademark symbol ® is distinct, in computer representation, from the similar character
Because the ® symbol has long been unavailable on typewriter
s and ASCII
-based computer systems, it has been common to approximate this symbol with the characters (R) or (r); for example, the Python programming language
Trademark Usage Policy advocates this usage. However, these forms do not have legal force. Example of legal equivalents are the phrase "Registered, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office", which may be abbreviated to "Reg U.S. Pat & TM Off.", in the U.S., and the letters "RTM" in the UK.
R
R is the eighteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The original Semitic letter may have been inspired by an Egyptian hieroglyph for tp, "head". It was used for by Semites because in their language, the word for "head" was rêš . It developed into Greek Ρ and Latin R...
"), is a symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
used to provide notice that the preceding mark is a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
or service mark
Service mark
A service mark or servicemark is a trademark used in some countries, notably the United States, to identify a service rather than a product. When a service mark is federally registered, the standard registration symbol ® or "Reg U.S. Pat & TM Off" may be used...
that has been registered with a national trademark office. In some countries, including China, it is against the law to use the registered trademark symbol for a mark that is not officially registered in any country.
Trademarks not officially registered are instead marked with the trademark symbol
Trademark symbol
The trademark symbol, designated by ™ , is a symbol used to provide notice that the preceding mark is a trademark. Use of this symbol does not mean that the trademark has been registered. Registered trademarks are indicated using the Registered trademark symbol...
™, while unregistered service marks are marked with the service mark symbol
Service mark symbol
The service mark symbol, designated by ℠ , is a symbol commonly used in the United States to provide notice that the preceding mark is a service mark. This symbol has some legal force, and is typically used for service marks not yet registered with the U.S...
℠. The proper manner to display these symbols is immediately following the mark in superscript style.
Computer usage
The registered trademark character has a standardized representation in most computer systems. It is mapped in UnicodeUnicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
as . The registered trademark symbol ® is distinct, in computer representation, from the similar character
Because the ® symbol has long been unavailable on typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
s and ASCII
ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text...
-based computer systems, it has been common to approximate this symbol with the characters (R) or (r); for example, the Python programming language
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
Trademark Usage Policy advocates this usage. However, these forms do not have legal force. Example of legal equivalents are the phrase "Registered, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office", which may be abbreviated to "Reg U.S. Pat & TM Off.", in the U.S., and the letters "RTM" in the UK.
Typing character
- Windows Alt code: AltAlt keyThe Alt key on a computer keyboard is used to change the function of other pressed keys. Thus, the Alt key is a modifier key, used in a similar fashion to the Shift key. For example, simply pressing "A" will type the letter a, but if you hold down either Alt key while pressing A, the computer...
+ 0174 (on numeric keypad). - LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
either AltGr + R or Compose keyCompose keyA compose key, available on some computer keyboards, is a special kind of modifier key designated to signal the software to interpret the following sequence of two keystrokes as a combination in order to produce a character not found directly on the keyboard...
, O, R - Mac OSMac OSMac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
: OptionOption keyThe Option key is a modifier key present on Apple keyboards. It is located between the Control key and Command key on a typical Mac keyboard. There are two option keys on modern Mac desktop and notebook keyboards, one on each side of the space bar....
+ R. - EmacsEmacsEmacs is a class of text editors, usually characterized by their extensibility. GNU Emacs has over 1,000 commands. It also allows the user to combine these commands into macros to automate work.Development began in the mid-1970s and continues actively...
: C-x 8 R. - HTMLHTMLHyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
:®or®or® - LaTeXLaTeXLaTeX is a document markup language and document preparation system for the TeX typesetting program. Within the typesetting system, its name is styled as . The term LaTeX refers only to the language in which documents are written, not to the editor used to write those documents. In order to...
: \textregistered, in math mode use \textsuperscript{\textregistered}.
Related symbols
- The trademark symbolTrademark symbolThe trademark symbol, designated by ™ , is a symbol used to provide notice that the preceding mark is a trademark. Use of this symbol does not mean that the trademark has been registered. Registered trademarks are indicated using the Registered trademark symbol...
™, used for unregistered trademarks. - The similar copyright symbolCopyright symbolThe copyright symbol, or copyright sign, designated by © , is the symbol used in copyright notices for works other than sound recordings . The use of the symbol is described in United States copyright law, and, internationally, by the Universal Copyright Convention...
, ©. - The similar sound recording copyright symbolSound recording copyright symbolThe ' symbol, a circled P, is the copyright symbol used to provide notice of copyright in a sound recording . The use of the symbol originated in United States copyright law and is specified internationally in the Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized...
, . - The similar Orthodox UnionOrthodox UnionThe Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America , more popularly known as the Orthodox Union , is one of the oldest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. It is best known for its kosher food preparation supervision service...
hechsherHechsherA hechsher is the special certification marking found on the packages of products that have been certified as kosher . In Halakha , the dietary laws of kashrut specify food items that may be eaten and others that are prohibited as set out in the commandments of the Torah...
symbol, featuring a U instead of an R in the circle.