When commodity exchange occurs in human society, commodity marks corresponding to commodity exchange are produced. Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, many craftsmen have carved their names on their products as marks, which is a form of being responsible for product quality. These symbols and marks are gradually transformed into trademarks, which should be the embryonic stage of trademarks. The inscription brick in the Eastern Han Dynasty carved (cast) the name of the producer and the year of production on the brick, which had the function of promoting products. But the words are all arranged on one side of the brick, and the product distinction is not obvious, and there is no decoration. This is still a sign, not a trademark. A trademark in the true sense must have two conditions, one is the function of distinguishing goods, and the other is the beauty. Judging from the decoration of this "rope" brick, it basically has the characteristics of a trademark. "Rope Brick" is a signboard that the owner of this brick kiln wants to build. Stick these three words on the long side of the brick, and you can see them even on the wall. The arrangement of the characters is also very clever. There are many strokes of the "rope", which occupies half of the space of the picture frame and appears full and prominent. "Stone" has few strokes, the knot is tight and the bottom is loose, and the oblique hook goes with the flow until the lower right corner of the picture frame, showing chic and frank, with different densities. The word "brick" is secondary here, even redundant. The traditional writing of the word "brick" is diverse, with many strokes and troublesome casting, so the author simplifies it himself. There is an earth character on the left, which means that the brick is made of earth. The word "brick" is skillfully placed in the blank at the lower left, which makes the whole picture both varied and balanced. It can be said that it is original and just right. The year number is secondary and should be changed every year. It's not a business sign. The producer changed the traditional inscription brick mode and separated it from the main content "rope brick", further highlighting the theme. The whole brick inscription layout is dignified and rigorous, and the arrangement is patchy. Surrounded by thin lines and decorated with diamond patterns, it is like a delicate seal, giving people a sense of beauty, far beyond the scope of making signs. It can be said that this is the earliest trademark in China. Compared with the earliest trademark in China, it originated in Song Dynasty, hundreds of years earlier.

As can be seen from the above, the ancestors of the rope surname basically knew how to protect their commercial intellectual property rights in the Han Dynasty, which is the clearest and only recorded in history.