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Jan 25, 2018

U.S. District Court Orders USPTO to Register BOOKING.COM as a Protected Trademark

Person using laptop to visit Booking.com

In 2012, Booking.com B.V. (“Booking.com”) filed four trademark applications for the mark Booking.com for services in class 39 – travel agency services – and class 43 – making hotel reservations. The USPTO initially rejected all four applications on the ground that BOOKING.COM is generic as applied to the relevant services and, in the alternative, that the mark is merely descriptive and that Plaintiff had failed to establish acquired distinctiveness. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) then affirmed the four refusals of registration for the same reasons. Booking.com filed this civil action challenging the denial by TTAB. In determining whether… Read more


Jan 18, 2018

Finding of Likelihood of Confusion Despite Consent Agreement

Trademark Confusion Between Beer Manufacturers

On October 30, 2017 the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) affirmed the refusal of registration of the 8-BIT ALEWORKS mark on the ground of a likelihood of confusion with the 8 BIT BREWING COMPANY registered marks and composite mark (shown below) under Section 2(d) of the Lanham Act, 15 USC Section 1052(d). The applicant’s mark was for “beer” while the registrant’s marks were for “Beer, ale, lager, stout and porter; Malt liquor; Pale beer”. The TTAB analyzed the marks under the factors in In re EI du Pont de Nemours & Co, 476 F2d 1357 (CCPA 1973). The application… Read more