Need chapter & verse for Rx symbol

[ElyseC]

This is beyond stupid, but I'm dealing with people (Lions Club International) who don't know diddly squat about what's a trademark and what isn't. My sister is an incoming district governor and each governor gets to design their own lapel pin for everyone to wear that year. Sis is a pharmacist, so asked me to design her pin with a pharmacy theme and I did. One of the elements is, naturally, the Rx symbol, which I drew from reference (didn't have time to search out which font/s I know I would find it in). Now the idjits at Lions Club are shouting (to the pin manufacturer) that "Rx" is a trademark and cannot be used. What a load of BS.

What they're requiring is that I fax them chapter and verse proving that the Rx symbol is not trademarked. I fired off a rather grumpy email to the pin vendor already explaining that, if the symbol -- an ancient one from Greek and Roman times -- is someone's trademark, then why are there commercial (and free and shareware) fonts with that character? If it's trademarked, then every doctor and pharmacy is in BIG trouble, because it appears on every prescription blank and in advertising. The whole flippin' US Postal Service also needs to be hauled away to the hoosegow, because of the commemorative pharmacy stamp they did some years back!

Soooooo, anyone got chapter and verse (on the web, ideally) I can reference in this letter I have to make up and fax to these idjits? I've been Googling, but apparently not using the best search words and phrases. I know we've discussed things like this over the years, that individual symbols cannot be trademarked, only a particular rendering of them, but I don't remember enough detail to search up official info on the Web that I can cite.

[Gerry Kowarsky]

Not exactly what you wanted, but here is a link to the documentation of the Unicode range that includes the Rx symbol: http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2100.pdf

Maybe there is something on the Unicode site about ownership of symbols.

So who does the trademark belong to according to objectors?

[ElyseC]

Originally Posted by Gerry Kowarsky

Not exactly what you wanted, but here is a link to the documentation of the Unicode range that includes the Rx symbol: http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2100.pdf

Maybe there is something on the Unicode site about ownership of symbols.

Thanks very much. That's at least a decent start.

So who does the trademark belong to according to objectors?

That's exactly what I want to know.

[ktinkel]

Originally Posted by ElyseC

… that "Rx" is a trademark and cannot be used.

Maybe they are confusing Rx with the Red Cross, which is protected by trademark (or something like that). I know that Johnson & Johnson had to license it for use in their Bandaid logo.

But Rx is ancient, and quite certainly not trademarked.

[Michael Rowley]

KT:

'But Rx is ancient'

It's the abbreviation for the Latin 'Recipe' (rendered in English by 'Take'), and although the 'R' seems to tail off in a typical fashion for doctors' writing, it's as standard as the 'et-sign' and many of the other abbreviated words used by scribes.

[ElyseC]

Originally Posted by Michael Rowley

It's the abbreviation for the Latin 'Recipe' (rendered in English by 'Take'), and although the 'R' seems to tail off in a typical fashion for doctors' writing, it's as standard as the 'et-sign' and many of the other abbreviated words used by scribes.

Or 'take thou' as I've always heard my family state it.

You're right about it being kin to the 'et' sign and I'll throw that info at them if need be. Thanks for that.

[ElyseC]

Originally Posted by ktinkel

Maybe they are confusing Rx with the Red Cross, which is protected by trademark (or something like that). I know that Johnson & Johnson had to license it for use in their Bandaid logo.

I have no idea what they're thinking of, but you'd think that Lions Club International would be smart enough to recognize that...

Rx is ancient, and quite certainly not trademarked.

but I guess not.

Like the Red Cross, they work across borders in health care (vision and hearing).

As of tonight I haven't heard anything more, so either I enlightened them or they (whoever 'they' may be) have not yet read what I've sent them.

[Richard Hunt]

Originally Posted by ktinkel

Maybe they are confusing Rx with the Red Cross, which is protected by trademark (or something like that).

Bit stronger than that. See http://www.nellis.af.mil/Redcross/emblem.htm

Richard

[ktinkel]

Originally Posted by Richard Hunt

Bit stronger than that.

I’ll say. Thanks for the interesting link.

—Kathleen

[Richard Hunt]

Originally Posted by ktinkel

I’ll say. Thanks for the interesting link.

I've never seen a non-military ambulance with a red cross emblem only, come to think of it. http://www.tenyas.org.uk/pictures.htm shows what civilian ambulance vehicles look like round here - no red cross anywhere.

Richard