The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
(Court) reversed a decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
(TTAB), which had affirmed a ruling by the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office (PTO). Unlike the lower tribunals, the Court held
that SPECTACLES isnotgeneric for "smart
glasses," although the Court held that this term is
"highly descriptive" of these goods.
In a detailed 60-page opinion, the Court explained the
differences between generic names and descriptive trademarks. The
Court concluded that the evidence in this case, particularly the
traditionalTeflonsurvey evidence, failed to support the
genericism determinations reached by the TTAB and the PTO.
