The trademark MS at the top of Icelanders’ mind

People most often mention the long-established trademark MS when they are asked to name a trademark from their daily life that comes first to mind. It is the only Icelandic trademark that makes it to the top-five list of trademarks that are at the top of Icelanders' minds. This is among the results of a survey that Maskína conducted for the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office (ISIPO) recently and were presented at the ÍMARK meeting last Friday.

23% of respondents mentioned MS in the survey. Next to MS on the list of the best-known trademarks were: Apple, Nike, Samsung and Coca Cola. There was a clear difference in the answers between age-groups, as among those aged 60 and over, 34% mentioned MS, while just less than 13% did so in the youngest group, 18-29 years old. In that group, most people mentioned Apple (36%). Each respondent in the survey was allowed to name up to five trademarks. Other Icelandic trademarks that were among the top ten were Bónus, Krónan and 66°N.

The word and figurative mark MS was registered in January 1990 for advertising; business management; business administration; office functions and for treatment of materials. The owner of the mark is Mjólkursamsalan ehf.

Registering a trademark gives its owner the exclusive right to use the mark for certain goods and services. The most common trademarks are word marks and figurative marks, but many other types of trademarks can be registered, e.g. sound marks and color marks. It is easy to apply for trademark registration on the ISIPO's website.

The survey was submitted to Þjóðgátt Maskína, which is a panel of people selected randomly from the Icelandic National Register. The survey was conducted online, and the respondents were 18 years and older from all over the country. The published data was weighted so that the group reflected the nation based on gender, age, place of residence, and education. The survey was conducted on 13 - 18 January 2023 and there were 954 respondents.