Among the options regarding what is not protected by trademark laws, purely descriptive terms , generic terms , and common language words used in their ordinary sense are generally not protected. Specifically:
- Purely descriptive terms that directly describe the product or service cannot be trademarked (e.g., "tomato" for tomatoes).
- Generic names that are common names for products or services are not eligible for trademark protection (e.g., "bicycle" for bicycles).
- Trademark laws do not protect ideas, procedures, processes, or purely functional aspects of a product.
Trademark protection typically covers distinctive signs such as unique names, logos, slogans, shapes, colors, sounds, or packaging design that identify and distinguish the source of goods or services. However, inability to protect purely descriptive or generic terms ensures that language and common expressions remain free for public use and competition. So, the items not protected by trademark laws include purely descriptive or generic terms and other common words or symbols that do not act as distinct source identifiers.
