Which company owns the trademark for the name 'Coca-Cola'?

Which company owns the trademark for the name “Coca-Cola”? The Coca-Cola Company owns the trademark for the name “Coca-Cola.” The mark identifies the company’s famous cola beverage and distinguishes it from competing drinks such as Pepsi and Dr Pepper.

The beverage was developed in Atlanta by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in 1886. The name refers to coca leaves and kola nuts, two original ingredients, while Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, is credited with creating the flowing script logo. Businessman Asa Griggs Candler later acquired the brand and formed The Coca-Cola Company in 1892.

Trademark protection is separate from the drink’s formula. Coca-Cola’s formula is famously treated as a trade secret, while the name, logo, bottle design, and other brand features can be protected through trademark rights. A trademark protects brand identity rather than granting a patent on the beverage itself.

The nickname “Coke” is also associated with the company and became an official trademark in the United States in the 1940s. Bottlers may manufacture or distribute Coca-Cola products under agreements, but that does not make them the owner of the core Coca-Cola trademark.