A decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board came to
my attention today that relates to my earlier blog entries
concerning McDonald's in that it involves the prerogatives of
fame, in this case, a royal prerogative. In Nieves v.
Nieves LLC, the Board agreed with the Trademark Examiner that
the marks "PRINCESS KATE" and "ROYAL KATE"
"falsely suggested a connection" with Kate Middleton, the
Duchess of Cambridge, under Section 2(a) of the Trademark Act.
Whether you have any interest whatsoever in British royalty you
have seen innumerable pictures of Kate Middleton as you are waiting
to check out groceries:
Kate Middleton may not be in quite the category of fame in the
U.S. that her first name alone is likely to bring a particular
person to mind (...perhaps our own American royalty Hilary):
