42:
333:
services of other businesses, and therefore cannot be afforded any legal protection. This is because there has to be some term which may generally be used by anyone—including other manufacturers—to refer to a product without using some organization's proprietary trademark. Marks which become generic after losing distinctive character are known as
332:
is the common name for the products or services in connection with which it is used, such as "salt" when used in connection with sodium chloride. A generic term is not capable of serving the essential trademark function of distinguishing the products or services of a business from the products or
281:
trademark tends to indicate the nature, quality, or a characteristic of the products or services in relation to which it is used, but does not describe this characteristic, and requires imagination on the part of the consumer to identify the characteristic. Suggestive marks invoke the consumer's
257:" for computers). Such marks consist of words or images which have some dictionary meaning before being adopted as trademarks, but which are used in connection with products or services unrelated to that dictionary meaning. Arbitrary marks are also immediately eligible for registration.
491:
192:
factors". The lawsuit was brought by
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. against Hunting World, Inc. regarding Abercrombie's trademark on the word "Safari", and resulting in Abercrombie's loss of the trademark.
302:
used in connection with saltine crackers or anchovies. Such terms are not registrable unless it can be shown that distinctive character has been established in the term through extensive use in the
180:
of trademark distinctiveness in the US, breaking trademarks into classes which are accorded differing degrees of protection. Courts often speak of marks falling along the following "
52:
476:
311:
298:
mark is a term with a dictionary meaning which is used in connection with products or services directly related to that meaning. An example might be
486:
233:" had no meaning before it was adopted and used as a trademark in relation to goods, whether photographic goods or otherwise. Invented marks are
41:
379:
432:
481:
375:
181:
167:
209:. The protection only exists for source-designating uses of the word, not descriptive or generic uses of the word.
92:
17:
441:
189:
185:
334:
129:
133:
459:
307:
400:
206:
125:
470:
261:
would be an arbitrary mark if it used in connection with e.g. telephones such as in
323:
283:
229:
registrable, and comprises an entirely invented or "fanciful" sign. For example, "
253:
trademark is usually a common word which is used in a meaningless context (e.g. "
303:
226:
254:
238:
158:
234:
202:
177:
96:
450:
362:
230:
266:
201:
The
Abercrombie court determined that descriptive words can get
89:
63:
Abercrombie & Fitch
Company v. Hunting World Incorporated
492:
United States Court of
Appeals for the Second Circuit cases
282:
perceptive imagination. An example of a suggestive mark is
401:"Abercrombie Classification Law & Legal Definition"
314:
on ground of being descriptive for electronic goods.
53:
United States Court of
Appeals for the Second Circuit
269:" has no particular connection with such products.
152:
144:
139:
121:
116:
108:
103:
84:
76:
68:
58:
48:
34:
358:Abercrombie & Fitch Co. v. Hunting World, Inc.
286:, a new technology of high-capacity data storage.
35:Abercrombie & Fitch Co. v. Hunting World, Inc.
237:which will not previously have been found in any
428:, 537 F.2d 4 (2nd Cir. 1976) is available from:
112:Opinion on Limited Rehearing, February 26, 1976
176:, 537 F.2d 4 (2nd Cir. 1976) established the
8:
426:Abercrombie & Fitch Co. v. Hunting World
173:Abercrombie & Fitch Co. v. Hunting World
18:Abercrombie & Fitch Co. v. Hunting World
40:
31:
352:
350:
346:
310:was famously refused protection by the
148:Friendly, joined by a unanimous court
7:
184:," also known within the US as the "
380:International Trademark Association
25:
477:United States trademark case law
197:The spectrum of distinctiveness
487:1976 in United States case law
376:"Trademarks vs. Generic Terms"
1:
205:protection if they develop a
182:spectrum of distinctiveness
168:United States trademark law
508:
321:
365: (2nd Cir. 1976).
157:
39:
482:Abercrombie & Fitch
335:genericized trademarks
223:inherently distinctive
306:(see further below).
130:William Homer Timbers
188:classification" or "
134:Murray Irwin Gurfein
27:American legal case
363:537 F.2d 4
109:Subsequent history
72:September 18, 1975
290:Descriptive marks
207:secondary meaning
164:
163:
16:(Redirected from
499:
464:
458:
455:
449:
446:
440:
437:
431:
413:
412:
410:
408:
397:
391:
390:
388:
386:
372:
366:
360:
354:
273:Suggestive marks
263:Salty Telephones
117:Court membership
80:January 16, 1976
44:
32:
21:
507:
506:
502:
501:
500:
498:
497:
496:
467:
466:
462:
456:
453:
447:
444:
438:
435:
429:
422:
417:
416:
406:
404:
403:. US Legal, Inc
399:
398:
394:
384:
382:
374:
373:
369:
356:
355:
348:
343:
326:
320:
292:
275:
265:, as the term "
247:
245:Arbitrary marks
215:
199:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
505:
503:
495:
494:
489:
484:
479:
469:
468:
460:Google Scholar
421:
420:External links
418:
415:
414:
392:
367:
345:
344:
342:
339:
322:Main article:
319:
316:
291:
288:
274:
271:
246:
243:
214:
213:Fanciful marks
211:
198:
195:
162:
161:
155:
154:
150:
149:
146:
142:
141:
137:
136:
126:Henry Friendly
123:
122:Judges sitting
119:
118:
114:
113:
110:
106:
105:
101:
100:
86:
82:
81:
78:
74:
73:
70:
66:
65:
60:
59:Full case name
56:
55:
50:
46:
45:
37:
36:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
504:
493:
490:
488:
485:
483:
480:
478:
475:
474:
472:
465:
461:
452:
443:
434:
433:CourtListener
427:
419:
402:
396:
393:
381:
377:
371:
368:
364:
359:
353:
351:
347:
340:
338:
336:
331:
325:
318:Generic terms
317:
315:
313:
309:
305:
301:
297:
289:
287:
285:
280:
272:
270:
268:
264:
260:
256:
252:
244:
242:
240:
236:
232:
228:
225:trademark is
224:
220:
212:
210:
208:
204:
196:
194:
191:
187:
183:
179:
175:
174:
169:
160:
156:
151:
147:
143:
140:Case opinions
138:
135:
131:
127:
124:
120:
115:
111:
107:
102:
98:
94:
91:
87:
83:
79:
75:
71:
67:
64:
61:
57:
54:
51:
47:
43:
38:
33:
30:
19:
425:
423:
405:. Retrieved
395:
383:. Retrieved
370:
357:
330:generic term
329:
327:
324:Generic term
299:
295:
293:
278:
276:
262:
258:
250:
248:
222:
218:
216:
200:
172:
171:
165:
153:Laws applied
104:Case history
62:
29:
407:January 23,
385:January 23,
304:marketplace
296:descriptive
227:prima facie
190:Abercrombie
186:Abercrombie
471:Categories
451:OpenJurist
341:References
279:suggestive
239:dictionary
235:neologisms
159:Lanham Act
308:Lektronic
251:arbitrary
203:trademark
85:Citations
424:Text of
219:fanciful
178:spectrum
145:Majority
97:U.S.P.Q.
284:Blu-ray
77:Decided
463:
457:
454:
448:
445:
442:Justia
439:
436:
430:
361:,
95:; 189
69:Argued
312:USPTO
300:Salty
259:Salty
255:Apple
231:Kodak
49:Court
409:2013
387:2013
267:salt
90:F.2d
88:537
249:An
166:In
99:759
473::
378:.
349:^
337:.
328:A
294:A
277:A
241:.
221:/
217:A
170:,
132:,
128:,
411:.
389:.
93:4
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.