Brand building is an ancient activity evidenced by the 7000-year-old bison paintings on the walls of the Lascaux Caves in France. Scholars believe that these bison have markings that indicate ownership. In the Middle East, stone seals for marking ownership are believed to date back to 3500 B.C. Many different ancient cultures, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese all used stamps and markings to indicate manufacturer or owner.

Laws have protected markings since at least 1266, when the Bakers Marking Law was passed in England.

In North America, the earliest modern brands were markings used to distinguish livestock shortly after Columbus came to the Americas in 1492. The states were the first to recognize trademarks legally, passing legislation in the early 1800's. Federal legislation was passed in 1870 and some of the earliest American brand names, including Quaker Oats and Ivory Soap, are still around today. US Government protection is offered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a branch of the Department of Commerce. 

The re-emergence of barter, the re-use of ancient advertising propositions and the death of inflexible brands are evidence that even in marketing, history repeats itself. Today, the discipline of marketing is maturing beyond the old adversarial approach and into new alliances and partnerships.

Everything it seems can be a trademark, including such three-dimensional objects as the McDonald's arches. NBC has a trademark of musical notes representing the network, while Owens Corning has registered pink insulation. It's all part of protecting a product that a business has worked hard to create.

The use of brand names, which are registered with the government, has become an important and valuable part of business today.