Trademarks figure prominently in college and university brand formation efforts. Trademarks are intangible rights that allow institutions to define and protect aspects of their identities important to them as they engage in markets. This multiple-method study, grounded in legal and policy research, provides a first look at how institutions are harnessing the power of trademarks in service of brand initiatives in three understudied areas: promulgation of institutional slogans, engagement in contentious arbitration actions over Internet domain names, and the coining and adoption of new names by university offices of technology transfer.