April 24, 2008 - Quick to spot a growing trend, marketers registered a record 300,000 green trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2007, besting the previous record set in the heady days of the internet boom, according to a new report from Deschert, a law firm.

Trendy isn't such a good thing in the trademark business, however - many companies encountered "green gridlock" when they attempted to file identical or too-similar marks, the report notes:

Clearly, it’s not easy being green - since a trademark by definition is a distinctive term that tells consumers that a product or service comes from a single source, many of these me-too filings will either not merit legal protection, or will be very weak trademarks.

The word "green" figured in the most proposed trademarks, clocking in at 2400 applications - double the number from the previous year. (Note: if your company has its eye on "Go Green," better reconsider: the phrase appeared in 100 filings in 2007 alone.)

Runners-up included:

• "Clean": 900 applications, up from 800 in 2006
• "Earth": 900, up from from 550 in 2006
• "Eco": 900 applications, more than doubling in number from 2006
• "Organic": 700 applications, up 57% over 2006
• "Environment": 450 applications, up from 325 in 2006
• "Friendly": 180 applications, up 88% over 2006

Download Deschert's Trends in Trademarks 2008 here (PDF).