There are a lot of existing products names and trademarks in Hydro, and certainly more to come, therefore it is important that we operate with common guidelines to ensure a uniform way of communicating to contribute to a streamlined brand and trademark portfolio throughout the company. This will increase the strength of our brand and acquire a much more widespread reputation.

Through consistent use of trademarks, we will also strengthen and protect our product and services in all territories and all markets where Hydro is present.

Such use of trademarks gives an important signal to the outside world that Hydro consider these marks to be its own and indicates that we will protect them. It will also reduce prosecution and renewal costs and third-party infringement risks/ensure freedom of use.

For future product naming there are two options available for Hydro products and services:

Default option – a descriptive name

No need for registration - ™

Hydro + a descriptive / generic name (+scale) ™
When Hydro is used together with a descriptive / generic title, describing the type of the product and its characteristic’s (and scale), trademark can be used without registration

Exception option – a unique name

Must be registered - ®

A destinctive / unique name ®
When Hydro is used with a distinctive / unique name (with a commercially driven need for a unique name and a budget to market the name) it needs to be registered as a trademark. Availability searches have to be conducted by Intellectual Property Department prior to deciding the name.

Hy-names
E.g: HyForge, HySort, HyLife
To make the HY-names more powerful as trademarks and more visible in the market, product names starting with HY is only to be used when the product or service is considered a unique name and a trademark is registered.

What do I do, if I want to name a new product/service?

2 questions to answer	Answer	Action
1) Is the product/service you are naming offered from more than one of Hydro’s business areas?	If yes, the name must be approved by Group Positioning & Brand.	Contact Eduardo Lutz, eduardo.lutz(a)hydro.com
	If no, you can decide the name yourself within the established product naming framework.	Go to question 2
2) Do you believe that your product/service should have a unique name?	If yes, use the decision tree to explain why you need a unique product name	Go to the decision tree (internal Hydro SharePoint) Fill the decision tree and send to eduardo.lutz(a)hydro.com
	If no, find a suitable descriptive name with support from the marketing function in your business area	See this PowerPoint slide for inspiration to get started (internal Hydro Sharepoint) Contact marketing in your business area for support.

Trademarks

Trademarks should not have their own logo or identity, but use full Hydro branding, including Hydro’s logo and full visual identity.

What is a trademark?

Any sign that can be graphically reproduced
Words, slogans, names, logos, graphic elements, letters, numbers, sound, scent, movements
A trademark must not be confusingly similar to the marks of others, determined based on the similarity of the marks and the similarity of the products they are associated with
Must be able to distinguish commercial origin

Symbol

Meaning

Action needed

Trademark symbol

The trademark is either registered, established or used as a mark (business trait)

No need to register the trademark

Registered trademark symbol

The trademark is registered in a market and may only be used for such marks in that specific market

Must be registered