Optician group Specsavers has had its plan to trademark the use of "should've" and "shouldve" approved by the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
The company uses the phrase "should've gone to Specsavers" in its adverts.
The trademark application means that other companies will not be able to use that form of words in their marketing.
Rivals have until 12 October to make objections to the claim, the IPO said.
It said that applications for trademarks on common words could be made where they were linked to a company through "use or association".
Other companies have secured trademarks on phrases used in the marketing material. McDonald's has trademarked the phrase "i'm lovin' it", while Nestle has done the same for "Have a Break" for its Kit Kat biscuits.
'Powerful monopoly'
However, one trademark lawyer was surprised that Specsavers had managed to secure the trademark on a single word.
"It's astonishing," said trademark lawyer Tania Clark from Withers and Rogers. "They have a very powerful monopoly in this word... which is a verb in common usage."
She said that Carlsberg's use of the word "probably" was the only other example she could think of where a company had managed to secure a single word to trademark for its brand.
But she said Carlsberg only had the right to exclusive use of the word in relation to beer and related alcohol products while Specsavers has a broader remit for "should've".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37092366
The company uses the phrase "should've gone to Specsavers" in its adverts.
The trademark application means that other companies will not be able to use that form of words in their marketing.
Rivals have until 12 October to make objections to the claim, the IPO said.
It said that applications for trademarks on common words could be made where they were linked to a company through "use or association".
Other companies have secured trademarks on phrases used in the marketing material. McDonald's has trademarked the phrase "i'm lovin' it", while Nestle has done the same for "Have a Break" for its Kit Kat biscuits.
'Powerful monopoly'
However, one trademark lawyer was surprised that Specsavers had managed to secure the trademark on a single word.
"It's astonishing," said trademark lawyer Tania Clark from Withers and Rogers. "They have a very powerful monopoly in this word... which is a verb in common usage."
She said that Carlsberg's use of the word "probably" was the only other example she could think of where a company had managed to secure a single word to trademark for its brand.
But she said Carlsberg only had the right to exclusive use of the word in relation to beer and related alcohol products while Specsavers has a broader remit for "should've".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37092366
