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The real mark isn\u2019t in Class 36, but I really appreciate your point and the time you took to do the research to respond. Given that PREMIER is a laudatory mark and one specifically listed in the applicable TMEP section, it still doesn\u2019t make sense to me that
the mark PREMIER FINANCIAL, which consists of PREMIER plus one other clearly merely descriptive term for financial services, would be registrable absent a showing of distinctiveness. But I will proceed on the assumption that the registration is valid. </div>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">Jessica R. Friedman</span></p>
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<b>From: </b>Edward Timberlake <ed@timberlakelaw.com><br>
<b>Date: </b>Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at 2:48\u202fPM<br>
<b>To: </b>For trademark practitioners. This is not for laypersons to seek legal advice. <e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com><br>
<b>Cc: </b>Jessica R. Friedman <jrfriedman@litproplaw.com><br>
<b>Subject: </b>Re: [E-trademarks] Mark that was not distinctive when registration was granted but maybe is now<br>
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Given the case by case nature of trademarks (and trademark registration), I'm not sure I'd be in a hurry to jump to the conclusion that something like PREMIER would necessarily be considered to be merely descriptive in every context.</div>
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And, for example, the sheer number of live registrations on the Principal Register not based on acquired distinctiveness, in Class 36 alone, where the mark contains PREMIER but where PREMIER has not been disclaimed, seems like it would make it difficult to
argue that any registration containing PREMIER where PREMIER had not been disclaimed would necessarily be a mistake.</div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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Ed Timberlake </div>
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<i><a href="https://www.nclawspecialists.gov/for-lawyers/certification-standard-summaries/trademark-law/" target="_blank" data-outlook-id="a0af6f5b-360b-49e2-a1f4-f6de3c2811cc">Board Certified Specialist in Trademark Law</a></i></div>
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Chapel Hill, NC</div>
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<a href="https://clarity.fm/edtimberlake" target="_blank" data-outlook-id="be771903-f0df-42f5-90fb-89ef77c793d6">Schedule a call on Clarity</a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Jul 29, 2025 at 2:14\u202fPM Jessica R. Friedman via E-trademarks <<a href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com" data-outlook-id="dbd82ec5-2c55-4659-9db9-a449d1571b26">e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com</a>> wrote:</div>
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If I do, then I lose, because clearly it is really the fault of the PTO examiner who said, just disclaim FINANCIAL.</div>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">Jessica R. Friedman</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">Attorney at Law</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">300 East 59 Street, Ste. 2406</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">New York, NY 10022</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">Phone: 212-220-0900</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">Cell: 917-647-1884</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">E-mail:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: blue;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(5, 99, 193);"><u><a href="mailto:jrfriedman@litproplaw.com" target="_blank" title="mailto:jrfriedman@litproplaw.com" data-outlook-id="b77b9358-5604-41e4-8283-863f87f61c9a" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">jrfriedman@litproplaw.com</a></u></span></p>
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</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(5, 99, 193);"><u><a href="http://www.literarypropertylaw.com" target="_blank" title="http://www.literarypropertylaw.com" data-outlook-id="3c036268-5a52-4e4c-9398-d927e8b3cb74" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">www.literarypropertylaw.com</a></u></span></p>
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<b>From: </b>E-trademarks <<a href="mailto:e-trademarks-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com" target="_blank" data-outlook-id="b9be1ab6-8e22-4e98-a089-fe6362dd0763">e-trademarks-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com</a>> on behalf of asarabia2 via E-trademarks <<a href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com" target="_blank" data-outlook-id="a36d1e6f-6789-4898-b685-1a2abf64b2ff">e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com</a>><br>
<b>Date: </b>Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at 2:09\u202fPM<br>
<b>To: </b><a href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com" target="_blank" data-outlook-id="7abf7b84-abf1-4045-b7dd-bf76f959dae0">e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com</a> <<a href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com" target="_blank" data-outlook-id="91a2d40a-819a-4684-aa57-7b0f4e1a41ea">e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com</a>><br>
<b>Cc: </b>asarabia2 <<a href="mailto:asarabia2@gmail.com" target="_blank" data-outlook-id="2f30391b-35fd-4d66-b84b-da3320d27bf6">asarabia2@gmail.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject: </b>Re: [E-trademarks] Mark that was not distinctive when registration was granted but maybe is now<br>
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<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Don't you have to prove fraud? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Regards,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Tony <br>
<br>
IP Business Law, Inc.<br>
320 via Pasqual<br>
Redondo Beach, CA 90277<br>
(310)377-5171<br>
<a href="http://www.calrestitution.com" target="_blank" data-outlook-id="74d57b0d-e35c-498d-a7a5-5851439d7e7f" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">www.calrestitution.com</a> </span></p>
<div>On 7/29/2025 10:29 AM, Jessica R. Friedman via E-trademarks wrote:</div>
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(Hypothetical) My client wants to register BROWN PREMIER for financial advisory services. There is a Principal registration on the books for PREMIER FINANCIAL. \u201cPremier\u201d clearly is laudatory; it\u2019s even one of the examples that the TMEP gives of laudatory marks.
At the time of application, the applicant had been using it for only three years, so there no presumption created by five years of use. So, it seems that this was a completely descriptive mark. But the PTO didn\u2019t object under Section 2(e) or ask for evidence
of secondary meaning. It simply suggested that the applicant disclaim the word FINANCIAL, which it did. </div>
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If this registration for PREMIER FINANCIAL is cited against an application to register BROWN PREMIER, I\u2019d like to argue that the existing registration shouldn\u2019t have been granted because the mark was merely descriptive and had not acquired distinctiveness.
But now PREMIER FINANCIAL has been in use for 20 years. Let\u2019s assume that now it is distinctive. Does that fact preclude me from arguing successfully that the registration was invalid from the getgo? </div>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">Jessica R. Friedman</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">Attorney at Law</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">300 East 59 Street, Ste. 2406</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">New York, NY 10022</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">Phone: 212-220-0900</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">Cell: 917-647-1884</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">E-mail:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: blue;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(5, 99, 193);"><u><a href="mailto:jrfriedman@litproplaw.com" target="_blank" title="mailto:jrfriedman@litproplaw.com" data-outlook-id="de0d2884-31a4-4511-aba5-fc8c21c7d886" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">jrfriedman@litproplaw.com</a></u></span></p>
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