Registered sign

Federal law in the United States has treated ® as notice that a trademark is on the national register since the Lanham Act of 1946. It belongs only on marks that a trademark office has accepted.

Owners whose marks are still unregistered use ™. Putting ® on an unregistered mark misleads buyers and competitors, and some countries punish it: UK law makes it a criminal offence under section 95 of the Trade Marks Act 1994.