Editing Post-it note (section)

{{Short description|Small piece of paper with a re-adherable strip of glue on its back}}
{{Redirect|Sticky notes|the Windows program with the same name|Sticky Notes}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Infobox brand
| name           = Post-it note
| logo           = Post-it-2020.svg
| image          = PostItNotePad.JPG
| caption        = A small pad of original style lined yellow Post-it brand notes
| type           = [[Stationery]], [[paper]]
| currentowner   = [[3M]]
| origin         = [[Cynthiana, Kentucky]], U.S.
| introduced     = {{start date and age|1977}}
| discontinued   = 
| related        = 
| markets        = 
| previousowners = 
| trademarkregistrations = 
| ambassadors    = 
| tagline        = 
| website        = {{URL|https://www.post-it.com}}
}}

A '''Post-it note''' (or '''sticky note''') is a small piece of [[paper]] with a re-adherable strip of glue on its back, made for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. A low-[[adhesion|tack]] [[pressure-sensitive adhesive]] allows the notes to be easily attached, removed and even re-posted elsewhere without leaving residue. The Post-it's signature adhesive was discovered accidentally by a scientist at [[3M]].<ref name="Stik2it.com" /> Originally small yellow squares, Post-it Notes and related products are available in various colors, shapes, sizes and adhesive strengths. As of 2024, there are at least 28 documented colors of Post-it notes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Post-it Notes Collections |url=https://www.post-it.com/3M/en_US/post-it/ideas/color/collections/ |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=Post-it}}</ref> 3M's Post-it has won several awards for its design and innovation.<ref name="gale-2021" />

Post-its are versatile and can be used in various settings for various purposes.<ref name="Dove-2018" /> They are commonly used in classrooms and workplaces but can also be found in art, media, and social media.<ref name="Dove-2018" /><ref name="Pop Culture Post-2016" /><ref name="www.instagram.com" /><ref name="micagallery.org" /> Post-its have also been used as tools for public engagement and persuasion.<ref name="Garner-2005" /><ref name="Mattern-2020" /><ref name="Faulkenbury-2017" />

Although 3M's patent expired in 1997, the "Post-it" brand name and the original notes' distinctive yellow color<ref name="NYPost">{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Post]] |date=January 9, 1997 |page=32|title=3M sues Microsoft over sticky issue}}</ref> remain registered company [[trademark]]s, with terms such as "repositionable notes" used for similar offerings manufactured by competitors. While use of the trademark 'Post-it' in a representative sense refers to any sticky note, no legal authority has ever considered it a [[generic trademark]].{{efn|See {{cite court |litigants= 3M Company v. Professional Gallery, Inc. | vol=Opposition No. 91173411 | pinpoint= 2014 WL 3686877 |court=Trademark Trial and Appeal Board |date=2014 |url= http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=91173411&pty=OPP&eno=98|quote=The above evidence leaves us in no doubt that Post-it is a famous mark for sticky notes.}} {{cite court |litigants= Minn. Min. & Mfg. Co. v. Taylor |vol=21 |reporter=F. Supp. 2d |opinion= 1003 |pinpoint=1005 |court= D. Minn. |date=1998 |url= https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=13725211433817454093&q=21+F.+Supp.+2d+1003&hl=en&as_sdt=6,44 |quote=3M owns a valid mark—'Post-it' ... (this) mark is strong. [T]he evidence submitted is sufficient to establish the fame of the 'Post-it' mark.}} {{cite court |litigants= Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company v. Dole| Opposition No. 91094929 | court=Trademark Trial and Appeal Board |date=1997 |quote=This record establishes ... the fame of opposer's Post-it mark.}} {{cite court |vol= 3M Company| pinpointr=No. B. 14.1.TPE.0.07.02.01/482|court= Republic of Turkey Turkish Patent Institute|date=2009 |quote=[I]t has been determined that the 'Post-it' trademark is a 'well known' trademark recognized broadly by everyone...}}{{cite court |litigants= 3M Company v. Ahmed | vol=Opposition No.OP000402446 |court=United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office |date=2015}} {{cite court |litigants= Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company v. D. Benito| Vol= 28079330052003100444, Resolution No. 1207/2003 | court=Superior Court. Contentious, Madrid, Spain |date=2003}} {{cite court |litigants= 3M Company v. Daval-Frerot | Vol=Opposition No. 15-3630 / PCO | court=National Institute of Industrial Property, France |date=2016}} {{cite court |litigants= 3M Norway AS v. Note-it AS | vol=Opposition No. 200477 |court=Norwegian Board of Appeal for the Industrial Property Office |date=2005}} {{cite court |litigants= 3M Company v. Xρηστοσ Λϵριδησ | vol=Opposition No. B 002276247 | court=Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (EUIPO)|date=2015}} {{cite court |litigants= 3M Company v. Estates Indust. Co., Ltd. | vol= Invalidation No. 2013-890061, Control No. 1285551| court=Japan Patent Office |date=2014}}}}