Animated Logos, GIFS, and Motion Trademarks
In an ever-shifting world where technology seems to advance faster than the speed of light, now more than ever, it is vital to stay current and keep up with marketing trends. Campaigns are so heavily ingrained into our society that we don’t even realize we are being presented with advertisements, which is all the more reason why you need to make your marketing efforts stand out from the rest.
What better way to stay ahead of the rising competition than with a memorable animation that your customers will remember you by? The use of multimedia is becoming more prominent in helping distinguish brands. We are seeing a rise in animated logos, micro-interactions that occur upon interacting with a specific product or service, and other motion-forward marketing tactics that add a touch of playfulness and excitement to the ordinary and mundane. The fact is these business decisions aren’t created on a whim. The fact of the matter is animations and amazing moving graphics turn heads.
We aren’t telling you how to run your business by any means, but we think it’s essential to place a high value on making a good impression on potential consumers. Why? Because loyalty converts. Uniqueness converts. Excitement converts. If you can excite users, provide them with a pleasurable experience, and help them to make an individual connection with the product, it will pay off, as reflected in the numbers and rapid awareness of your product.
So how does trademarking come into play here?
You can trademark motion, as strange as it may seem, so long as jurisdiction permits.
Life in Motion
There is something authentic and captivating about life in motion. Much like fragrance and scent trademarks, motion is an unconventional form of intellectual property that you can protect. Initially, static logos and signage were the only authorized trademarks accepted for registration, yet that all changed in 1996.
The U.S.A. saw the introduction of motion as a form of intellectual property to be protected when Columbia Pictures waltzed in with the request to get their iconic moving imagery of Lady Liberty with the torch registered to be trademarked. This ignited a massive shift in the trademark space.
As a direct response to Columbia Pictures’ creation of the emblem of the torch lady, the U.S. became the first nation to accept trademarks in the form of motion. This monumental moment changed how businesses market themselves because they could now protect their original, unique ideas while getting crafty with multimedia.
To this day, the Lady Liberty torch-lighting motion trademark is one of the most renowned motion trademarks that helped the brand stand out and create a sense of reliability and consumer loyalty. Fans of their motion pictures became familiar with what was to come to introduce their movies, and it helped fuel growth as a result.
A modern example is Pixar’s legendary animated lamp scene, where the loud personality of the lamp playful stomps out the “I” in Pixar at the intro to Pixar movies. These small but intentional motion trademarks have a considerable impact.
Although these types of trademarks are rarer, it is evident that businesses can lean into motion for marketing campaigns and brand development. Why not explore movement as a means to help promote your company’s products? You can use said trademarks on merchandise such as hats or t-shirts or sell other services via licensing, so it’s a win-win.
The Basics of Motion Trademarks
In essence, a motion mark is a combination of moving visuals. This motion trademark represents an individual relationship to the goods, something the audience can easily interpret and understand as it relates to the product or service. This can be anything from an animation created using a digital program or operating system to a moving object that exists in physical reality–including but not limited to victory gestures for celebrity sports stars, as discussed in another article on motion trademarks in the physical world. It can also be presented as a short film or animated clips. These motion marks can occasionally contain audio.
Motion trademarks provide business protection for a moving logo, animation, or other motions that intentionally facilitate marketing a product or service. Solidifying a motion trademark is an excellent route if you want to protect your intellectual property, prevent infringement or others from stealing, and avoid confusion with your target audience by separating yourself from competitors.
Let’s run through some examples, shall we?
Animated Logos and Multimedia Marks
Living logos, for example, play into the idea that data is living, moving, and breathing. They act in real-time and instantly cause the customer interacting with the product or service to pay attention. It’s almost as if the animation is saying, “hey, I’m here; look at me!”
Motion marks create a pleasant experience for the user/customer and help distinguish the brand from others. Think of motion marks as indicators, indicating to a consumer that they’ve successfully made a purchase, signed up for a newsletter, or entered an authentic site. What exactly the motion mark means is up to the brand’s discretion, as accentuated by their unique personality. They can even be subliminal or suggestive.
Netflix has an insanely brilliant animated logo that is captivating and cinematic. Visually, the N for Netflix expands and zooms in until it breaks off into different lines of color. It creates this illusion of depth and has a futuristic quality to it. Google does a great job of incorporating motion into its living logo. Can you think of other brands that effectively incorporate motion into their brand?
Physical Motion Trademarks
Motion trademarks can also be created and extracted from the physical world via an object or person. So long as it can be graphically represented via a series of drawn images, is distinct, and directly relates to the business attempting to trademark, the possibilities are endless. Remember Salt Bae? His signature salt-sprinkling hand and arm movement is trademarked because it became a viral hit. This motion mark directly ties into his business ventures as a butcher, chef, food entertainer, and entrepreneur.
A less conventional example–but not to be overlooked–is the luxurious motion trademarked by Lamborghini, which genuinely made them an unstoppable brand. Most cars on the market function similarly and have a very streamlined point of entry and exit from the vehicle. Lamborghini upped everyone when they created the concept of “Scissor Doors,” also referred to as switchblade doors or Lambo doors.
This upward door opening motion is one of the many distinct features of the Lamborghini, and it’s iconic–inarguably the most significant staple within the Lambo brand. Lamborghini didn’t waste time protecting their idea as soon as it hit the streets.
They were able to get the door motion trademarked because it can independently differentiate Lamborghini’s products and services from others with similar offerings. Following suit, other car designers have replicated similar concepts to emulate luxury, affluence, and sophistication. We see brands like Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Tesla, and Ford all using variations of this door model.
If your motion mark is catchy enough, people might come after it, and that’s why you must safeguard it with legal protection. Let’s examine what rules your motion trademark must follow to be accepted.
Motion Trademark Criteria
Can your product or service be enhanced through the use and protection? Absolutely! But let’s make sure it passes the test. Demonstrating use as an identifier of the source of origin is a requirement if you want your motion mark application to be approved, so ensure that you have quantifiable proof of how your motion mark ties in with your brand.
Criteria a motion mark must uphold to be approved by jurisdiction include:
- A textual explanation of the mark and its purpose as it relates to your business
- A visual depiction, such as a drawing illustrating a single point in the movement or freeze frames indicating the direction of movements. It can also be presented via still pictures in sequence with descriptions of what movements are occurring. Motion applications for trademarks can be delivered by a series of video files, too.
- Demonstration of unique character–cannot be generic.
- Identification of a clear or precise subject for public recognition
- Source of origin–how did this come into being? What is the purpose?
We understand how difficult it can be to form an individual identity for a product or service in this marketing rat race, especially when your business is brand-spanking new. If you want to draw attention, we suggest you gather with your team and devise a plan to create a memorable motion mark if you don’t already have one in the works. The use of motion to captivate consumers and draw them in has limitless potential. Think–calculated but whimsical. Captivating but simple. If you’re ready to learn more about protecting your business ideas, hop on a call with one of our expert trademark consultants to clarify the next steps.
Motion Trademarks or Bust–Secure Your idea today!
References:
https://www.svgator.com/blog/animated-logo-examples/
https://nbs.com.my/blog/take-a-look-at-lamborghinis-trademark-an-upward-door-opening-motion/