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A superscript capital R inside a circle (®), used only for marks formally registered with a national trademark office.
Also known as: R in a circle, Circle R
The ® symbol indicates a trademark has been formally registered with the relevant national or regional trademark office (such as the USPTO). Using it for an unregistered mark is misleading, and in some jurisdictions unlawful.
Indicates the mark has been formally registered with a national or regional trademark office; legal use is generally restricted to marks that are actually registered.
Registration requirements and enforcement vary by jurisdiction.
May only be used once registration has been granted, and using it on an unregistered mark is unlawful in a number of jurisdictions — in the United Kingdom it is a criminal offence to represent falsely that a mark is registered. It is therefore a statement of fact about a legal status rather than a claim about ownership.
United Kingdom and United States · Contexts: Packaging, Software
Is territorial. A mark registered in one country is unregistered in the next, so the same packaging can lawfully carry the symbol in one market and not in another — which is why multinational packaging often carries a footnote naming the countries the registration covers.
Contexts: Packaging
The letter R fully enclosed within a circle, usually placed in superscript.
Frequently confused; see the comparison page for the legal distinction.
Both belong to the Intellectual property marks system.