Registered Trademarks, Copyrights, Hallmarks…what does it all mean?
In the United States of America, if manufacturers put a quality mark on a precious metal item, they must, according to The National Gold and Silver Stamping Act, also put their own mark, and their mark must be trademarked. This is so that they can be held accountable for the precious metal content of the item.
The name KRISTIN is a Registered Trademark. Kristin Anderson marks all her works with ®, the metal content mark, the year that the piece was made, and the copyright mark ©.
- Copyright is the set of exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work.
- A hallmark is an official quality mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals — platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium.
- A trademark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products from those of other entities.