# TMEP § 1301: Service Marks

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301

## Section

- **Citation:** TMEP § 1301
- **Heading:** Service Marks
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** USPTO TMEP / Chapter 1300 - Service Marks, Collective Marks, and Certification Marks / TMEP § 1301

## Text

Section 45 of the Trademark Act,
15 U.S.C.
§1127
, defines “service mark” as follows:
The term “service mark” means any word, name, symbol, or
device, or any combination thereof--
(1) used by a person, or
(2) which a person has a bona fide intention to use in
commerce and applies to register on the principal register established by this
[Act],
to identify and distinguish the services of one person,
including a unique service, from the services of others and to indicate the source of
the services, even if that source is unknown.  Titles, character names, and other
distinctive features of radio or television programs may be registered as service marks
notwithstanding that they, or the programs, may advertise the goods of the sponsor.
Therefore, to be registrable as a service mark, the asserted
mark must function both to
identify
the services recited in the
application
and distinguish
them from the services of others, and to
indicate the source
of the recited services, even if that source is
unknown. The activities recited in the identification must constitute services as
contemplated by the Trademark Act.
See
TMEP
§§1301.01–1301.01(b)(vi).
If a proposed mark does not function as a service mark for the
services recited, or if the applicant is not rendering a registrable service, the statutory
basis for refusal of registration on the Principal Register is §§1, 2, 3, and 45 of the
Trademark Act,
15 U.S.C. §§1051–1053
,
1127
.
See
TMEP
§1303
concerning collective service marks.

## Nearby sections

- [TMEP § 1301 Service Marks](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01 What Is a Service?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01.md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(a) Criteria for Determining What Constitutes a Service](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(a).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(a)(i) Performance of a Real Activity](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(a)(i).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(a)(ii) For the Benefit of Others](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(a)(ii).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(a)(iii) Sufficiently Distinct from Activities Involved in Provision of Goods or Performance of Other Services](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(a)(iii).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(i) Contests and Promotional Activities](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(i).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(ii) Warranty or Guarantee of Repair](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(ii).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(iii) Publishing One’s Own Periodical](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(iii).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(iv) Soliciting Investors](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(iv).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(v) Informational Services Ancillary to the Sale of Goods](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(v).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(vi) Clinical Trials](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(vi).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.02 What Is a Service Mark?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.02.md)
- [TMEP § 1301.02(a) Matter that Does Not Function as a Service Mark](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.02(a).md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.