I have to set these quite often. I find that some of the Pro Open Type fonts have the registration and the TM correctly sized and positioned, but not all. Other times I find that using the superscript option in InDesign (CS2) and Illustrator (CS2) is quite good. When these options fail, then I default to using the methods described above. Obviously if you are only doing one instance of a TM or registration mark, not a problem, but if you do it multiple times, across many documents these options are quicker and almost as good.

I enjoyed your post on the technical aspects of including (r) or tm symbols in typography. Two questions and a comment:
Question: Some trademarks are not trademarks, but "service marks" (technically, all marks used in connection with a service, as opposed to a good, constitute a service mark). The abbreviation for an unregistered service mark is "sm". There isn't an ASCII code for "sm", which makes using it (especially in body text, and REALLY especially on the web) nearly impossible. Do you have any hints to help web designers if their client wants an "sm" mark rather than a TM?
Question: Many trademarks are "design" marks, meaning that it may be a non-word symbol (like the Pepsi swirl, for example, for the NBC peacock). What are your thoughts about setting the symbols when there are no words with which to compare it?
Comment: I wish you would have included a paragraph just letting the typographers know the purpose of the mark designation. TM is for trademarks that have not been registered (at least in the US) with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. It can mean that an application is on file, or it can mean that, even though no registration has been sought, the trademark owner claims "common law" or state trademark rights. Adding the "TM" notice is very important to include, because it is the only way to communicate
to the public and to competitors that you're claiming this word as a trademark. I'm sure clients would appreciate a design professional simply asking: "Are there any other words, designs, or symbols in this piece that you claim as a trademark for any particular goods or services?"
(R) is the designation for trademarks that have been registered with the USPTO. There is a (slim) possibility that if a person uses an (R) symbol improperly, the rights holder could forfeit some of her rights in the trademark. So a good design professional may just want to ask the client (especially if the client is smaller): "Has a federal trademark registration been issued for all of the trademarks with which you've requested that we apply the (r) symbol"?

Thanks again for the post,
Kyle Kaiser
arbitraryandfanciful.wordpress.com

First time into forums and I find these really useful. Hanging quoatation marks and where to place register symbols didn't register with me until now. JUst placed them before, now I have guidelines. Thanks and I think I have a lot of catching up to do with this forum.

It's also worth noting that you only need to use these symbols once per trademark (in each piece of work) for them to serve their legal role of notifying the reader these words are a trademark or registered trademark. There's nothing more distracting than reading text that's interrupted by "TM" on every second line. Or, as I've seen in some, every second word. Note, too, that the legal validity of "TM" varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Great, your example in the above posts also made things easier...

Great article, thank you for sharing with all of us

Excellent post thank you very much for taking the time to share with those who are starting on the subject. Greetings