That's not true, at least not in the US, and here's a lovely example of it.
A few years ago DC Comics decided to sue DC Shoes over their logo which, like DC Comics logo at the time, used the letters DC and a star.
Turns out DC hadn't trademarked the logo, despite having used it (and variants) for decades so they lost.
DC Shoes HAD trademarked it and successfully counter sued and DC Comics, despite having used a similar logo for a lot longer, were forced to pay DC Shoes for the rights (at least until they ultimately changed their logo).
A few years ago DC Comics decided to sue DC Shoes over their logo which, like DC Comics logo at the time, used the letters DC and a star.
Turns out DC hadn't trademarked the logo, despite having used it (and variants) for decades so they lost.
DC Shoes HAD trademarked it and successfully counter sued and DC Comics, despite having used a similar logo for a lot longer, were forced to pay DC Shoes for the rights (at least until they ultimately changed their logo).