The encircled-R, or "®," is a symbol that designates a specific trade or service mark as a federally registered trademark under the Trademark Act. In order to use this symbol a mark must be currently registered on either the Principal or Supplemental Registers maintained by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Willful use of the encircled-R on a non-registered mark may jeopardize future registerability status with the USPTO, and may be evidence of bad intent, which is frowned upon by the courts.
