As the New Year rolls around, let’s take a look back at the year that has passed in Trademarks.

As often as not, a company’s most valuable asset is its reputation as embodied in its name and trademarks.  A registered trademark can be a logo, a brand name, a symbol, a color, a scent, a sound or anything else that is considered a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services of a company. According to a Forbes article, Google’s trademark is the most valuable on the planet right now – an estimated $44 billion, or 27% of the firm’s overall value, measured by market capitalization (its stock price multiplied by the number of shares).

According to the USPTO, about 530,000 trademark applications were filed in 2016 and about 310,000 trademarks were registered. It will be interesting to see how many of those can stand the test of time.

Unlike copyrights and patents, trademark rights can last indefinitely as long as the owner continues to use the mark to identify its goods or services. To celebrate the end of 2016, we’ve compiled a list of trademarks that were registered in 1916 that are still in use today. Here are some of the one’s you’d recognize:

Palmer’s (candy), Eli Lilly (pharmaceuticals), Emerson (electronics), Carnation
(malted milk), Westclox (watches and clocks), Merck (pharmaceuticals), Palmolive (soaps), Welch’s (grape juice), Welchade (beverages), Auto-Lite (auto parts), Bon Ami (soaps), GE Edison (electric lamps).

Check out our website for more information on trademark law.