Protect the Brand, Back the Green Claim
Solar, battery, EV-charging, and efficiency brands compete on names and environmental claims. We clear and register clean energy brands, review green marketing, and handle competitor challenges to those claims.
What clean energy brands run into
Florida's solar market and EV adoption have grown rapidly, bringing many new brands and many similar names.
Crowded names
'Solar,' 'volt,' 'green,' and 'eco' appear in thousands of marks.
Federal Trademark Applications →Problem 2Environmental claims
'Carbon neutral,' 'green,' and 'recyclable' claims are measured against the FTC's Green Guides.
False Advertising Litigation →Problem 3Competitor challenges
Competitors challenge unsupported claims under the Lanham Act.
False Advertising Litigation →Problem 4Product design and installations
Distinctive product designs can be protected as trade dress.
Federal Trade Dress →What we recommend for clean energy brands
Our five most important steps for protecting a brand in this industry, in the order most clients need them.
Avoid descriptive energy terms as the brand
Pick a distinctive name and use 'solar' or 'energy' only as a descriptor.
File in every class you operate in
Clean energy companies often sell products and installation, financing, and monitoring services.
Qualify every environmental claim
Make claims specific and support them, following the Green Guides.
Keep substantiation on file
Keep the data behind efficiency, savings, and environmental claims.
Monitor competitors' claims
Unsupported claims by competitors can be challenged through demand letters or litigation.
Clean energy brand filings at the USPTO, 2021 to 2026
Applicants filed 18,004 U.S. trademark applications in this category from 2021 to 2025, and filings in 2025 were down 10% from 2021. 15,965 live registrations cover it today.
Applications filed per year
U.S. applications by filing date. The 2026 bar covers January to late October.
View data table
| Year | Applications filed | Registered to date | Abandoned | Registrations issued that year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,440 | 2,038 | 1,237 | 1,248 |
| 2022 | 3,855 | 2,379 | 1,208 | 1,421 |
| 2023 | 3,839 | 2,255 | 1,084 | 2,020 |
| 2024 | 3,772 | 2,237 | 863 | 2,705 |
| 2025 | 3,098 | 1,327 | 497 | 2,868 |
| 2026 (Jan.–Oct.) | 2,251 | 215 | 38 | 2,144 |
Applications filed and registrations issued
Applications by filing year, and registrations by the year they issued.
What happened to each year's applications
Status today of applications filed each year. Recent years are still largely pending.
How we counted. USPTO trademark records, retrieved October 28, 2026. The USPTO does not classify filings by industry, so this page counts: Applications whose goods or services mention solar panels, solar energy, renewable energy, energy storage, or electric vehicle charging, in any class. An application is counted once even if it names several qualifying classes.
Top five trademark registrants: Clean Energy Brands
The owners that received the most U.S. registrations in this category since January 2021.
U.S. registrations issued since January 2021, by owner
Registrations issued January 2021 to October 2026 in the category described in the data section, by current owner.
View data table
| Rank | Owner | Registrations since 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EKEN Electronics Limited | 48 |
| 2 | Hanwha Solutions Corporation | 33 |
| 3 | Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG | 28 |
| 4 | Centuri Group, Inc. | 22 |
| 5 | Hyundai Motor Company | 22 |
Owners identified from a random sample of 11,947 of the 12,406 registrations in the category, then counted across all of them by owner name. Listed for information only. These companies are not clients of the firm, and their inclusion implies no affiliation.
What the law says
- Environmental claims are measured against the FTC's Green Guides (16 C.F.R. Part 260). General claims such as 'eco-friendly' are difficult to support and should be qualified.
- Competitors can challenge unsupported environmental claims under the Lanham Act.
- Solar panels and batteries are in Class 9, installation in Class 37, energy generation in Class 40, and design and consulting in Class 42.
Start here: a checklist for a new brand
Your checks are not saved.
Who does what for your brand
A licensed attorney is responsible for each matter, supported by paralegals and docketing staff who manage documents, deadlines, and monitoring.
Attorneys
Strategy, filings, and enforcement.
- Clearance searches and written risk opinions
- Applications drafted for clean energy goods and services
- Responses to USPTO refusals and oppositions
- Demand letters, licenses, and litigation
Paralegals and docketing
Files complete and deadlines met.
- Specimens, dates of use, and evidence
- Docketing of every USPTO and renewal deadline
- U.S. Customs recordation and Amazon Brand Registry
- Watch notices for new conflicting filings
Client service
Clear, bilingual, and easy to reach.
- Service in English and Spanish
- Copies of every USPTO notice, explained
- A written estimate before each filing
- Renewal reminders well in advance
Frequently asked questions
Can I use 'solar' in my brand?
Yes, as a descriptor, and it will usually need to be disclaimed. The brand should rely on a distinctive term.
What are the Green Guides?
FTC guidance on environmental marketing claims, at 16 C.F.R. Part 260.
Can a competitor sue over my environmental claims?
Yes, under the Lanham Act, if the claims are false or misleading.
What classes should a solar company file in?
Class 9 for panels and batteries, Class 37 for installation, Class 40 for energy generation, and Class 42 for design.
Is 'carbon neutral' a safe claim?
Only with clear support and explanation of how neutrality is achieved.
Can I protect my charger's design?
As trade dress if distinctive and not functional, or with a design patent.
Talk to us about your clean energy brand
Tell us your brand, what you sell, and where. We will check the register, recommend the right filings, and give you a written estimate.
- Clearance searches
- Federal and Florida filings
- Enforcement and litigation
- Customs and marketplace protection