Equality Brand Tea trademark

Item

Title: Equality Brand Tea trademark
Description: The trademark is one of many from the Trademark Series within the Secretary of State’s Records at the California State Archives. California created the nation’s first trademark law in 1861. According to the law, companies had to apply to trademark their brands through the California Secretary of State’s Office.

This trademark for “Equality Brand Tea” depicts a drawing of a ribbon with “Votes for Women” emblazoned on it, surrounding a teacup labeled “Equality.” Packed for the Woman’s Suffrage Party of California, the trademark was a marketing tactic used by the organization to promote and raise money for their cause.

George W. Caswell, the tea’s distributor and a well-known coffee and tea merchant in San Francisco, officially filed the trademark on June 22, 1911. However, in keeping with the practice of actively using trademarks in commerce prior to filing, Caswell began distributing the tea in support of the Women’s Suffrage Party beginning in 1910. The proceeds from the sale of Caswell’s tea provided crucial funding during the 1911 campaign for women’s suffrage in California.
Contributor: California Secretary of State
Coverage: San Francisco (Calif.)
Creator: Women's Suffrage Party of California
Date: June 22, 1911
Format: PDF
Language: English
Rights: Public Domain. No restrictions on use. For access to a higher resolution version of this file, or for permission to reproduce or publish, please contact California State Archives staff via email at reference@sos.ca.gov or call the Reference Desk at (916) 653-2246. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement that may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives' collections.
Source: Inactive Trademark Applications, California Secretary of State Records, TM5153, California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
Type: Textual
Original Format: Legal document

Media: Equality Brand Tea trademark