Hasbro registers Olfactory Trademark- the smell of Play-Doh

Image credit-Momfactual.com

Hasbro, Inc, an abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational toy and board game company. It is the largest toy maker in the world in terms of stock market value, and third largest with revenues of approximately $5.12 billion- Wikipedia.

The smell of Play-doh brings back a lot of childhood memories. Sweet, slightly musky, Vanilla-like, Slight overtones of cherry, Natural smell of a salted, wheat-based dough. This is what Hasbro has applied to obtain trademark protection in respect of. The company made the announcement last week that the vanilla-like scene is recognized as unique by the US patent and trademark office. The company stated that the compound used for arts and crafts has been largely unchanged since 1956.

An official of the company further stated that the trademarking will illegally protect what he called an invaluable point of connection between the brand and its fans.

The nostalgia, inducing smell of Play-doh is now one of the few active trademarks in America. According to the patent and trademark office, scents that serve a utilitarian purpose - like the scent of perfume or an air freshener - serve a function and cannot be registered as trademarks. The guidelines note that the "amount of evidence required to establish that a scent or fragrance functions as a mark is substantial.

News Source- Chicago Tribune