12 Colors So Synonymous With Brands, Their Colors Are Trademarked

Post-It Note yellow is such a distinct shade of yellow.

This past Easter, I treated myself to a Reese's peanut butter egg. It was half-melted, which upset me, but while I was peeling its gooey body out of the wrapper, I noticed it said "Orange is a trademarked color."

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It's my new goal in life to find a color so iconic that I can trademark it, but until then, here are 11 other colors whose hex codes are off limits (in certain contexts, of course).

1. Tiffany Blue

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Tiffany Blue has been a registered trademark since 1998. The Pantone color is officially titled 1837 Blue which commemorates the company's founding year.

2. Post-It Note Yellow

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In April 1996, 3M filed to register their canary yellow with the US Patent Office in regards to sticky notes. It's not something I've ever thought of until now, but Sticky-Note Yellow is pretty iconic. 

3. Cadbury Purple

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After a challenge by Nestlé, Cadbury was able to trademark the purple color they've been using on their branding in 2022 after a ruling from the High Court.

4. UPS Brown

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In 1998, UPS was the third company to ever trademark a color, and it was their signature brown.

5. Home Depot Orange

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Pantone 165C is what you'll see on Home Depot's aprons, logos, shelves, and carts. "But Audrey, Reese's already trademarked orange." In my extensive time as a trademark expert (aka, like, 15 minutes of Googling), as long as Home Depot doesn't start packaging chocolate, and as long as Reese's doesn't start selling building supplies, they should be OK.

6. Barbie Pink

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Pantone 219C is "Barbie Pink" and even serves as the inspiration for the 2011 doll, Pink in Pantone, where Barbie sports a dress made of swatches of the signature color.

7. Target Red

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Target's color was trademarked in 2003. The official Pantone color is called "Target Red."

8. Louboutin Red

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Some courts in the EU don't recognize the trademark for Louboutin's signature red under-heel, but the US courts do.

9. Wiffle Ball Yellow

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Wiffle Ball has trademarked yellow as it applies to bats and cricket bats. If you want to make and sell a plastic bat, you have to choose a different color.

10. T-Mobile Magenta

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The CEO of T-Mobile even goes out in a magenta shirt and magenta sneakers.

11. And finally, Owens-Corning Pink

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If you've ever seen home insulation, this pink will come immediately to mind.

What's the most iconic company color in your opinion? Comment below!