Trademark Law
Executive Summary: Trademark law governs the use of a device (including a word, phrase, symbol, product shape, or logo) by a manufacturer or merchant to identify its goods and to distinguish those goods from those made or sold by another. Service marks, which are used on services rather than goods, are also governed by 'Trademark law.' In the United States, certain common law trademark rights stem merely from the use of a mark. However, to obtain the greatest protection for a mark, it is almost always advisable to register the mark, either with the federal government, if possible, or with a state government. A mark which is registered with federal government should be marked with the ® symbol. Unregistered trademarks should be marked with a "tm", while unregistered service marks should be marked with a "sm".
might be something for everyone to consider, the (tm) and or (sm) where it might apply... though you would have to do a search to make sure they were in fact unregistered....
On the topic of owning a word :
http://www.bitlaw.com/trademark/devices.html
weird, but Apple is one of the first examples....
