Misuse of the term “REALTOR®” is often brought to the attention of the Cincinnati Area Board of REALTORS®.  “REALTOR®” is a trademarked term that is owned by the National Association of REALTORS® and its use is regulated.

The following is a BRIEF example of acceptable uses of the term.  The full NAR Membership Marks Manual can be found at https://www.nar.realtor/membership-marks-manual.

Form of Use for the Term REALTOR®

The form of use limitation requires members and Member Boards to use the MARKS in a manner that highlights them in relation to adjoining print by: (l) the use of capital letters and, where necessary, boldface print or italics; (2) the use of separating punctuation where appropriate; and (3) the use of the federal registration symbol “®” adjacent to each of the terms.

The preferred format for written use of the MARKS is use of all capital letters with the federal trademark registration symbol. When the preferred format is not feasible, members and Member Boards may use the MARKS with an initial capital letter “R.” Unless it is used in a domain name or email address, members and Member Boards are prohibited from having a MARK appear in all lowercase letters.

Preferred Form:
REALTOR®
REALTORS®
REALTOR-ASSOCIATE®

Permitted Form (only when use of the “®” is not feasible):
REALTOR
REALTORS
REALTOR-ASSOCIATE

When REALTOR®, REALTORS®, or REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® are used in the text of webpages, brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, or otherwise in the body of written material, all capital letters and the registration symbol “®” should be used in connection with at least the first use in each section of the body of the written material and in connection with each subsequent appearance to the extent practical. Each following use in that section must at least contain initial capital letters.

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