What is the difference between a trade name and trademark?
Unlike a trademark, which is used to identify the source of a product or service, a trade name is used to identify a business or company. It is the name under which a business operates. Depending upon the context in which it is being used, a trade name can also function as a trademark. If it is being used as a noun it is considered a trade name. When it is being used as an adjective it is considered a trademark. For example, if you were to purchase light bulbs from Coastal Inc., in that case, Coastal Inc. is being used as a trade name. If you were to purchase Coastal light bulbs, Coastal is considered to be a trademark. Many people are under the mistaken belief that registering their trade name with the Registrar of Companies, or incorporating their business, whether provincially or federally, affords them all-encompassing rights in that name, including trademark rights. Unfortunately this is not the case. What many people do not realize is that federal trademark registration is often
