TARMAC
Tarmac has been registered in the UK as a trademark for road surfacing materials, though the brand faces significant genericisation challenges. The word derives from 'tarmacadam', patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1902.
UK IPO Record
- Application Number
- UK00914345193
- Word Mark
- TARMAC
- Status
- Registered
- Applied
- 7 July 2015
- Registered
- 23 October 2015
- Next Renewal
- 7 July 2035
- Owner
- Tarmac Holdings Limited
- Nice Classes
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Class 5, Class 17, Class 19, Class 21, Class 31, Class 35, Class 36, Class 37, Class 39, Class 40, Class 41, Class 42
Brand History & Trademark Analysis
Tarmac has been registered in the UK as a trademark for road surfacing materials, though the brand faces significant genericisation challenges. The word derives from 'tarmacadam', patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1902. In common British usage, 'tarmac' has become a generic term for any paved surface, but the trademark remains registered and is now held by CRH plc following various corporate transactions.
Nice Class 19 covers building materials. View all Class 19 trademarks and case studies →
Historical Background
Edgar Purnell Hooley patented tarmacadam in 1901, building on John Loudon McAdam's earlier road-surfacing method. Hooley registered the trademark "Tarmac" and founded the Tar Macadam Syndicate in 1903. The word "tarmac" appears in lower-case in the Oxford English Dictionary as a synonym for any bituminous road surface or airport apron, representing one of the clearest cases in UK trademark law of a product name becoming a generic descriptor. CRH plc acquired Tarmac in 1999.