TMTrademarks are words, symbols or devices used to distinguish the source or provider of goods from other providers. Trademarks are generally affixed to labels or packaging or used at the point of sale for goods. Service marks function similarly, but are used to identify the source of services, rather than goods. Service marks typically appear in promotional and advertising materials, along with a description of the services provided. These guidelines will use the term trademark to refer to both trademarks and service marks.
Trademarks benefit both trademark owners and consumers by indicating the source of a product or service and distinguishing the product or services from those of competitors. Trademarks help owners establish goodwill in their company and in their products and services. Consumers are protected because trademarks help them identify the quality of a good or service associated with a mark.
The trademarks of Epocrates, Inc. (“Epocrates”) are valuable assets of the company and should be treated with care. If the Epocrates trademarks are misused, Epocrates could lose the exclusive rights to use these marks. Due to misuse, some once-famous marks are now common, everyday terms used to identify products generically, rather than the sources of those products (i.e., the terms no longer serve as brand names), and the owners of those marks have been essentially stripped of their trademark rights. Once-famous marks that are now generic include aspirin, harmonica, linoleum, escalator and zipper.
Because trademark rights in the United States are based on use, when a trademark is not used or is used incorrectly, even for a relatively short period of time without justification, the mark may be deemed abandoned. Once abandoned, others may adopt and use the mark. To help avoid the risk of loss of rights by Epocrates, these basic guidelines should be followed (more comprehensive guidelines are available from the General Counsel upon request).
- Trademarks should always be used when referring to a product or service and should be distinguished from surrounding text by using ALL CAPS, bold, italics or underlining.
- The full trademark should be used publicly – NOT abbreviations or shortened forms of the mark.
- The first or most prominent use of a mark in a piece should be identified with ® or ™ as appropriate (for websites, any use reasonably likely to be the first viewed should be so identified).
- Printed materials should also include a legend such as “X and Y are trademarks of Epocrates, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks referenced are those of their respective owners.”
- Trademarks should not be used as nouns or verbs.
Most frequently used Epocrates marks and examples of their proper use:
- DocAlert® message or system
- DocMemo® message or archive
- Epocrates® applications or network
- Epocrates® Coder reference
- Epocrates Dx® diagnosis reference
- Epocrates® Essentials clinical reference suite
- Epocrates® Essentials Deluxe clinical reference suite
- Epocrates Honors® program
- Epocrates ID® infectious disease guide
- Epocrates Lab™ diagnostic reference
- Epocrates® Medical Dictionary
- Epocrates MedInsight™ research reference
- Epocrates MedTools® clinical applications
- Epocrates® Online drug and formulary reference
- Epocrates® Online Plus AHFS® DI reference
- Epocrates® Online Premium reference
- Epocrates QuickRecruit® service
- Epocrates QuickSurvey® service
- Epocrates Rx® drug reference
- Epocrates Rx Formulary® clinical reference
- Epocrates Rx Pro® enhanced drug reference
- Epocrates SxDx® disease reference
- EssentialPoints™ detailing program
- InteractionCheck™ substitute mark for our existing MultiCheck® trademark
- MobileCME® on-the-go learning system
- MobileOutcomes™ educational service
- MultiCheck® drug interaction feature
- PharmFlash® newsletter
Note: Epocrates does not claim rights to AutoUpdate, Alt. Meds., Coder, Essentials, Medical Dictionary and Online, so these terms should not include either an ® or ™ designation. For reference to international trademarks please contact the Legal Department at Epocrates.
All other trademarks referenced on this website are used under license or by permission of their respective owners who retain all rights to such marks in the United States and in other countries.