New Member Orientation

How much do you know about the REALTOR® trademarks and how to use them correctly?

Here are five key facts.

1. REALTOR® = Member of NAR

A REALTOR® is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. The term REALTOR® should never be used as a substitute for "real estate agent."

The REALTOR® trademarks include:

• REALTOR®

• REALTORS®

• REALTOR-ASSOCIATE®

• the REALTOR® block "R" logo

The REALTOR® marks let people know that you are more than just a real estate practitioner: you adhere to a strict Code of Ethics that protects clients, the public, and other real estate agents.

The term REALTOR® is not only a trademark owned by NAR and protected by federal law, it's a valuable membership benefit that distinguishes members from other real estate licensees.

2. Members can use the REALTOR® trademarks, with limitations

Members may use the REALTOR® marks only in the context of identifying themselves as members of NAR. To maintain the value of the marks, it's important that they be recognized by the public as identifiers of NAR members, and never used generically to denote a vocation or a business.

Members are licensed to use the marks only in connection with their real estate business and in connection with the place of business with which their membership is associated.

3. Non-members may not use the REALTOR® marks

Non-members are never allowed to use the REALTOR® trademarks in reference to or in connection with their businesses or themselves.

Certain nominal uses of the marks are permissible. For example, newspapers, magazines, or radio or television programs may use the marks to accurately identify an individual as a member of NAR or in reference to a Member Board.

4. Design standards for REALTOR® marks must be followed

The preferred form of the term is REALTOR®—in all caps, and using the registered trademark symbol. If using the symbol isn't possible, then the next best form is in all caps: REALTOR.

The REALTOR® block 'R' logo consists of a letter R set in Futura Typeface on a sharply contrasting rectangular background to form a block “R” with the term REALTOR® centered underneath. The rectangular block and the term REALTOR® centered under that block must be the same contrasting color. View additional design standards here.

5. The REALTOR® marks can be used on the internet and in marketing

In usernames, members are allowed to use the REALTOR® marks only to indicate membership in NAR by using the marks with a member’s name or with the legal name of a member broker’s real estate business.

In usernames, email addresses, and domain names, the REALTOR® marks do not need to be separated from a member’s name or real estate business name with punctuation, as they do elsewhere.

The marks may be used on merchandise such as T-shirts and ball caps, as long as the item includes the member’s name or firm name. However, the marks may not be used in institutional advertising by franchisors.

Remember to pronounce REALTOR correctly. It is : REEL - TORE not REEL A TORE.

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Trademark & Logo Use on the Internet

When surfing the Web for real estate homepages, it's quite common to come across sites belonging to REALTORS®. If you are looking to add your own electronic presence on the Internet, it is easy to get caught up in designing your own web page and choosing a domain name which will capture the attention of surfers and make you easily identifiable. Whether it is the domain name of your home page or other domain names you use to point to your home page, REALTORS® often want to use the REALTOR® marks as part of a domain name or address to distinguish themselves, but they must keep in mind that there are rules governing proper use of the REALTOR® marks that must be adhered to at all times regardless of the media used. These rules are found in the National Association's Membership Marks Manual, explaining proper use of the REALTOR® marks including examples of correct and incorrect uses. Here is a brief list of the principal rules affecting use of the REALTOR® marks in domain names:

1. The term REALTOR®, whether used as part of a domain name or in some other fashion must refer to a member or a member's firm.

2. The term REALTOR® may not be used with descriptive words or phrases. For example, Number1realtor.com, numberone-realtor.com, chicagorealtors.org or realtorproperties.com are all incorrect.

3. The term REALTOR® should never be used to denote an occupation or business. Do not combine words like “your,” “my,” “our” or any descriptive words or phrases between your name and the membership mark. JaneDoeMyRealtor.com and YourChicagoRealtorJohnDoe.com are all examples of improper use.

4. For use as a domain name or e-mail address on the Internet the term REALTOR® does not need to be separated from the member's name or firm name with punctuation. For example, both johndoe-realtor.com and johndoerealtor.com would be correct uses of the term as a part of domain names and jdoe*realtors@webnetservices.com(link sends e-mail) and jdoerealtors@webnetservices.com(link sends e-mail) are both correct uses of the term as part of an e-mail address.

5. The REALTOR® block R logo should not be used as hypertext links at a web site as such uses can suggest an endorsement or recommendation of the linked site by your Association. The only exception would be to establish a link to the National Association's web site, nar.realtor, or its official property listing site, realtor.com®.

The public has adopted the use of all lower case letters when writing domain names, even those containing trademarks. Therefore, for purposes of domain names and internet addresses only, there is an exception to the rule on capitalization of the term REALTOR® and it may appear in lower case letters.

Whether you use traditional print media or the Internet, it is essential to use the REALTOR® marks in accordance with the rules and guidelines of the National Association. The REALTOR® marks should only be used to denote membership in the National Association of REALTORS®.

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Want to test your knowledge? Take the 

Trademark Quiz