Label vs. Trademark — What's the Difference?

A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed directly on a container or article can also be considered labelling.

A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression which identifies products or services of a particular source from those of others, although trademarks used to identify services are usually called service marks. The trademark owner can be an individual, business organization, or any legal entity.

An item used to identify something or someone, as a small piece of paper or cloth attached to an article to designate its origin, owner, contents, use, or destination.

A symbol, word, or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company or product.

A descriptive term; an epithet.

Provide with a trademark

A distinctive name or trademark identifying a product or manufacturer, especially a recording company.

Abbr. TM A name, symbol, or other device used to identify and promote a product or service, especially an officially registered name or symbol that is thereby protected against use by others.

(Architecture) A molding over a door or window; a dripstone.

A distinctive characteristic by which a person or thing comes to be known

(Heraldry) A figure in a field consisting of a narrow horizontal bar with several pendants.

To label (a product) with proprietary identification.

(Chemistry) See tracer.

To register (something) as a trademark.

To attach a label to

A word, symbol, or phrase used to identify a particular company's product and differentiate it from other companies' products.

To identify or designate with a descriptive term; describe or classify

Any proprietary business, product or service name.

(Chemistry) To add a tracer to (a compound).

The aspect for which someone or something is best known; a hallmark or typical characteristic.

A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.

(proscribed) To register something as a trademark.

A name given to something or someone to categorise them as part of a particular social group.

(proscribed) To so label a product.

(music) A company that sells records.

(informal) Distinctive, characteristic, signature.

(computing) A user-defined alias for a numerical designation, the reverse of an enumeration.

A distinctive characteristic or attribute

(computing) A named place in source code that can be jumped to using a GOTO or equivalent construct.

A formally registered symbol identifying the manufacturer or distributor of a product

(heraldry) A charge resembling the strap crossing the horse’s chest from which pendants are hung.

(obsolete) A tassel.

A small strip, especially of paper or parchment (or of some material attached to parchment to carry the seal), but also of iron, brass, land, etc.

A piece of writing added to something, such as a codicil appended to a will.

(historical) A brass rule with sights, formerly used with a circumferentor to take altitudes.

(architecture) The projecting moulding by the sides, and over the tops, of openings in mediaeval architecture.

In mediaeval and later art, a representation of a band or scroll containing an inscription.

(graphical user interface) A non-interactive control or widget displaying text, often used to describe the purpose of another control.

(transitive) To put a label (a ticket or sign) on (something).

(ditransitive) To give a label to (someone or something) in order to categorise that person or thing.

(biochemistry) To replace specific atoms by their isotope in order to track the presence or movement of this isotope through a reaction, metabolic pathway or cell.

(biochemistry) To add a detectable substance, either transiently or permanently, to a biological substance in order to track the presence of the label-substance combination either in situ or in vitro

A tassel.

A slip of silk, paper, parchment, etc., affixed to anything, and indicating, usually by an inscription, the contents, ownership, destination, etc.; as, the label of a bottle or a package.

A slip of ribbon, parchment, etc., attached to a document to hold the appended seal; also, the seal.

A writing annexed by way of addition, as a codicil added to a will.

A barrulet, or, rarely, a bendlet, with pendants, or points, usually three, especially used as a mark of cadency to distinguish an eldest or only son while his father is still living.

A brass rule with sights, formerly used, in connection with a circumferentor, to take altitudes.

The name now generally given to the projecting molding by the sides, and over the tops, of openings in mediæval architecture. It always has a square form, as in the illustration.

In mediæval art, the representation of a band or scroll containing an inscription.

To affix a label to; to mark with a name, etc.; as, to label a bottle or a package.

To affix in or on a label.

A brief description given for purposes of identification;

Trade name of a company that produces musical recordings;

A radioactive isotope that is used in a compound in order to trace the mechanism of a chemical reaction

An identifying or descriptive marker that is attached to an object

Assign a label to; designate with a label;

Attach a tag or label to;

Pronounce judgment on;

Distinguish (as a compound or molecule) by introducing a labeled atom

Distinguish (an element or atom) by using a radioactive isotope or an isotope of unusual mass for tracing through chemical reactions