Trademark is the area of intellectual property protection that can protect product names and other "marks" used in commerce to refer to goods or services. In trademark, a doctrine called "nominative fair use" allows people to use trademarks, including product names, when they are reasonably necessary to identify the product they signify and the use does not imply sponsorship or endorsement. This is the doctrine that companies typically rely on to say things like "Made for iPhone X," "compare to the active ingredients in Crest toothpaste," or "absorbs 10 times more water than Bounty paper towels."

For more information, see the Fair Use of Trademarks fact sheet from the International Trademark Association.