How can the television ratings legally use the copyrighted "G" and "PG" ratings from the MPAA?

Question

To the best of my knowledge, the MPAA owns the copyright to the five symbols "G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17." The new television ratings have two ratings "TV-G" and "TV-PG" that clearly incorporate MPAA's copyrights. How can the television rating board, which is separate from the MPAA, use these copyrighted symbols? If it because they have altered them with the addition of the "TV-" to them?

Answer 1

If you recall the court battle between Fox News Corporation and Al Frankin, the high courts rulled that no one can trademark or copyright words or phrases common to use, such as Fox News's "Fair and Balanced."

While MPAA could copyright some cool symbol that looked like a G or PG, those letters and their combination cannot be copyrighted.

However, all this is irrelavent because if you look, MPAA endorses the TV rating system.