MicroPlace was an American microfinance provider that focused on retail investors, allowing everyday people to invest in microcredit loans for entrepreneurs in developing countries. Founded by Tracey Pettengill Turner in 2006, the company was acquired by eBay that same year and launched its website on October 24, 2007.[1][2]
Design and History
MicroPlace registered two distinct wordmark trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The first, filed on April 12, 2006, was a standard character mark for the word “MICROPLACE” covering financial services related to microcredit investments.[3] This registration was initially assigned to Microplace, Inc. in San Francisco, then transferred to eBay Microplace, Inc. in San Jose before reverting to MicroPlace, Inc.[4]
A second, design-based trademark was filed on September 14, 2007. According to the USPTO filing, this mark consisted of “a miscellaneous circle design made up of dots to form a circle to the left of the stylized term ‘MICROPLACE’.”[5] No color was claimed as a feature of this mark, indicating it was registered in black and white or monochrome.[6]
In October 2010, MicroPlace filed a third trademark application for a different design: a brown square containing a circle made of four puzzle pieces, each outlined in white and colored yellow, green, brown, and light brown. This application was abandoned in August 2011 after the company failed to respond to a USPTO office action.[7]
MicroPlace ceased offering investments on January 14, 2014.[1] The 2007 dot-circle wordmark registration was cancelled in December 2015, and the 2006 wordmark registration expired in November 2018.[6][4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2007 logo combined a dotted circle with the stylized “MICROPLACE” wordmark.[5] The circular dot pattern visually suggested a network of small, connected participants, consistent with the platform’s role as a broker connecting individual retail investors with microfinance institutions. The 2010 puzzle-piece design, though never registered, similarly conveyed the idea of interconnected parts forming a whole, with its four colored pieces suggesting diversity and collaboration.[7]
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