Service mark

Before it is registered, it is common practice (with some legal standing) to use the service mark symbol ℠ (a superscript SM).

[2] For example, a private carrier can paint its service mark on its vehicles, such as on planes or buses.

This has been done in the case of AT&T, which uses a tone sound followed by a woman speaking the company's name to identify its long-distance service; MGM, which uses the sound of a tiger's roar;[3] and RKO Pictures, which used a Morse code signal for their motion pictures.

Under United States law, service marks have a different standard of use in order to count as a use in commerce, which is necessary to complete registration and to stop infringement by competitors.

[4] For example, Thrifty, Inc. attempted to submit a service mark application that described aspects of their business (uniforms, buildings, certain vehicles) as "being blue".