In the context of EU intellectual property, a trademark is a sign that identifies a company. It allows one brand to be distinguished from another, or more specifically, to distinguish one company's products or services from another company's products or services.

In fact, any distinctive sign can be considered a trademark: it can be a word, a design, a logo, and even a specific shape, color, or sound. In particular, a registered trademark is a legally protected sign and property right. Any sign that can characterize the company can be registered and become the trademark of the company. Because of this, a trademark is a different legal term than a trademark, which is often used in marketing studies. One can say that one protects a trademark if one wants to register a trademark. Any consumer who knows a company has an idea of its products and services, as well as a general idea of the company as a whole. This idea is the brand.