Sound Trademark

What Is a Sound Trademark?

A sound trademark is a sound that is legally registered as intellectual property, giving its owner the exclusive right to use it to identify goods or services. Registration turns a piece of audio into a protectable brand asset, enforceable against imitators in the same way as a name or logo.

Sound Trademark in Practice

The NBC chimes, the three-note G, E, C sequence, became the first sound registered as a trademark in the United States in 1950, and MGM’s lion roar is another long-protected classic. Registering a sound is harder than registering a logo: applicants must prove the sound is distinctive and functions as a source identifier, not mere decoration, which is why Harley-Davidson famously abandoned its attempt to trademark its engine rumble after years of opposition. For sonic branding, trademark status is the end goal of asset building: a sonic logo used consistently for years can graduate into registered property. Other registered examples include the Intel bong and the THX Deep Note, proof that sound can be owned as firmly as a wordmark.

Famous Example

The NBC chimes, the first sound registered as a US trademark in 1950, and the MGM lion’s roar.