While the Engadget Mobile/T-Mobile fiasco is just heating up, I was surprised to learn that colors can be trademarked. It’s hard to understand how “a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect” or color can be trademarked. There are only so many colors (millions and millions), but it’s not like someone’s going to find a new color any time soon (the LSD crowd begs to differ). How can companies like T-Mobile trademark a color that has been created naturally? I’ve been researching the ability to trademark colors and I have yet to understand why any company has the ability to do it.

Color trademarks won’t affect the general public, but it could affect artists and designers who have to avoid certain colors. On the other hand, this helps companies separate themselves from their competition.

I was also surprised to learn that T-Mobile isn’t the only one with a trademarked color and that there are dozens of color trademarks. 

T-Mobile: Magenta

The obnoctious magenta is seen on everything from the T-mobile logo to TV commercials

UPS: Brown

“What can brown do for you?” really makes sense now.

Cadbury: Purple

Cadbury uses this purple on all of its packaging.