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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The CAFC said this:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“[T]he word in question [VETEMENTS] is a simple and common word—the word for clothing. On the other hand, “widow” requires a more advanced vocabulary. This, therefore, distinguishes
this case from the aspect of <i>Palm Bay </i>that was premised on “an appreciable number of purchasers [being] unlikely to be aware that VEUVE means ‘widow’” in French, and therefore “unlikely to translate the marks into English.”
<i>Palm Bay</i>, 396 F.3d at 1377 (emphasis omitted) (citation omitted).”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Do we have any French speakers out there? Is “veuve” an obscure word?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">PS:
<i>Palm Bay</i> was a likelihood of confusion case [not a genericness (or descriptiveness) case] in which the mark VEUVE ROYALE was found to be confusingly similar to VEUVE CLIQUOT for wine, but THE WIDOW was not confusingly similar, since consumers would not
translate VEUVE as WIDOW..<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">JLW<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">John L. Welch<span style="color:#0E74AE"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Senior Counsel</span></b><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#243745;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#243745;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Admitted to Practice:</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> Massachusetts,
New York, and Washington, DC<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="mailto:jwelch@WolfGreenfield.com">jwelch<span lang="FR-CA">@WolfGreenfield.com</span></a></span><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E74AE;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#0E74AE;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> E-trademarks <e-trademarks-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Jessica R. Friedman via E-trademarks<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, September 10, 2025 11:18 AM<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> [E-trademarks] VETEMENTS case going up to SCOTUS<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#0A2F41"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#0A2F41"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/world/europe/vetements-trademark-lawsuit.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/world/europe/vetements-trademark-lawsuit.html</a>
raises a few questions for me:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#0A2F41"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:#0A2F41;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3">
<span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">The NY Times reporter analogizes the registration of VEUVE CLIQUOT, which means “widow cliquot” and refers to the company matriarch, for champagne, to the registration of VETEMENTS, which in French means clothing,
for clothing. Is that an analogy the applicant has actually made, or is this just the usual ignorance of NY Times articles when it comes to IP?<o:p></o:p></span></li></ol>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#0A2F41"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<ol style="margin-top:0in" start="2" type="1">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:#0A2F41;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3">
<span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">The PTO refused registration on the ground that the mark is merely descriptive and that it appears to be generic. How can it be both?
<o:p></o:p></span></li></ol>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#0A2F41"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:#0A2F41;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3">
<span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">The applicant’s response to the OA included the argument that “vetements” referred only to clothing as a category, while they are applying to register specific items of clothing:</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:windowtext">
“</span><i><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Although the word “clothing” may have a relationship to an overall category of products, it is not the descriptive (nor generic) term for any specific item. A purchaser would not say they want to “buy
a clothing.” Further, when the mark VETEMENTS is encountered an observer would first have to undertake translation of the word, and then draw a relationship to a specific item such as a sweatshirt”.
</span></i><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">I understand that we have to try any and every credible argument, but that one doesn’t strike me as falling into that category.
<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></li></ol>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#0A2F41"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#0A2F41"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#003366">Jessica R. Friedman</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0A2F41"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#003366">Attorney at Law</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0A2F41"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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