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<p>I have had "name or likeness" refusals for the family name
alone. And I am aware of at least one where it was a single-name
celebrity with what would seem to be only a given name.</p>
<p>One of my cases was for labels on wine bottles, where the label
had art by some well-known painter, and the painter had apparently
signed the art. So the surname was there (in little tiny writing)
on the label of the wine bottle. But no first name. It was a
little squiggle. I don't even know how the Examiner got to be so
certain that it must be a name. I think the Examiner somehow
arrived at a guess who it was, and counted the letters in the
person's family name, and matched this with the peaks and valleys
of the squiggle and decided it must be a handwritten name.</p>
<p>Ah, I found one of them. Here it is.</p>
<p><img
src="https://tsdr.uspto.gov/img/79327636/large?1757534273087"
alt="Trademark image" width="882" height="374"></p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 9/10/2025 1:35 PM, Jessica R.
Friedman wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span>But isn\u2019t that usually done only when
the application has the first and last name of a person?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Jessica R. Friedman</span><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Attorney at Law</span><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>300 East 59 Street, Ste. 2406</span><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>New York, NY 10022</span><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Phone: 212-220-0900</span><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Cell: 917-647-1884</span><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>E-mail:</span><span> </span><u><span><a
href="mailto:jrfriedman@litproplaw.com"
title="mailto:jrfriedman@litproplaw.com"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>jrfriedman@litproplaw.com</span></a></span></u><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>URL:
</span><u><span><a href="http://www.literarypropertylaw.com"
title="http://www.literarypropertylaw.com"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>www.literarypropertylaw.com</span></a></span></u><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span><span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>From:
</span></b><span>Carl Oppedahl
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:carl@oppedahl.com"><carl@oppedahl.com></a><br>
<b>Date: </b>Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 1:12</span><span>\u202f</span><span>PM<br>
<b>To: </b>For trademark practitioners. This is not
for laypersons to seek legal advice.
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com"><e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com></a><br>
<b>Subject: </b>VETEMENTS case going up to SCOTUS</span></p>
</div>
<p>By the way there is a fascinating film called "The
Widow Cliquot" that everybody should watch if they have
not already.</p>
<p>I wonder (in the VEUVE CLIQUOT case) whether the
Examiner thought to ask whether "Cliquot" was the name
of a living individual. She died in 1866, but the
Examiner might not have been sure about that.</p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>On 9/10/2025 10:23 AM,
Jessica R. Friedman via E-trademarks wrote:</span></p>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Thanks, Susan. I didn\u2019t
have time to read the briefs. But how/ on what
grounds? Are they saying that VEUVE CLIQUOT is
descriptive because it describes the person who
runs the company? That sounds like a serious
stretch to me. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Jessica R. Friedman</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Attorney at Law</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>300 East 59 Street, Ste.
2406</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>New York, NY 10022</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Phone: 212-220-0900</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Cell: 917-647-1884</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>E-mail: <u><a
href="mailto:jrfriedman@litproplaw.com"
title="mailto:jrfriedman@litproplaw.com"
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">jrfriedman@litproplaw.com</a></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>URL:
<u><a href="http://www.literarypropertylaw.com"
title="http://www.literarypropertylaw.com"
moz-do-not-send="true">www.literarypropertylaw.com</a></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>From:
</span></b><span>E-trademarks <a
href="mailto:e-trademarks-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com"
moz-do-not-send="true">
<e-trademarks-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com></a> on behalf of Crane,
Susan via E-trademarks
<a
href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com" moz-do-not-send="true"><e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com></a><br>
<b>Date: </b>Wednesday, September 10,
2025 at 11:48</span><span>\u202f</span><span>AM<br>
<b>To: </b>For trademark practitioners.
This is not for laypersons to seek legal
advice.
<a
href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com" moz-do-not-send="true"><e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com></a><br>
<b>Cc: </b>Crane, Susan <a
href="mailto:susan.crane@wyndham.com"
moz-do-not-send="true"><susan.crane@wyndham.com></a><br>
<b>Subject: </b>Re: [E-trademarks]
VETEMENTS case going up to SCOTUS</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>As to point 1, I
don\u2019t think the reporter made the analogy,
Vetements did in its argument.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Susan L. Crane</span></b><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Group Vice
President, Legal</span></b><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Intellectual
Property, Brands & Marketing</span></b><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Wyndham Hotels
& Resorts, Inc.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>22 Sylvan Way</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Parsippany, NJ
07054</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>O</span></b><span>
(973) 753-6455</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>M</span></b><span>
(973) 879-3420</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><a
href="mailto:Susan.Crane@wyndham.com"
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">Susan.Crane@wyndham.com</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>From:</span></b><span>
E-trademarks
<a
href="mailto:e-trademarks-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com"
moz-do-not-send="true"><e-trademarks-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com></a>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Sam Castree via
E-trademarks<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, September 10,
2025 11:37 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> For trademark practitioners.
This is not for laypersons to seek legal
advice.
<a
href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com" moz-do-not-send="true"><e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com></a><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Sam Castree <a
href="mailto:sam@castreelaw.com"
moz-do-not-send="true"><sam@castreelaw.com></a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [E-trademarks]
VETEMENTS case going up to SCOTUS</span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>To point #3, wow,
it's hard to see how the lawyers made
that argument with a straight face.
Cheers, Sam Castree, III Sam Castree
Law, LLC 3421 W. Elm St. McHenry, IL
60050 (815) 344-6300 On Wed, Sep 10,
2025 at 10:</span><span>\u200a</span><span>20
AM Jessica R. Friedman</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
class="gmaildefault"><span>To point
#3, wow, it's hard to see how the
lawyers made that argument with a
straight face.</span></span><span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Cheers,</span></p>
</div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Sam Castree,
III</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span>Sam
Castree Law, LLC</span></i><span></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span>3421
W. Elm St.</span></i><span></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span>McHenry,
IL 60050</span></i><span></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span>(815)
344-6300</span></i><span></span></p>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>On Wed, Sep 10,
2025 at 10:20</span><span>\u202f</span><span>AM
Jessica R. Friedman via E-trademarks
<<a
href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com</a>>
wrote:</span></p>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><a
href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/world/europe/vetements-trademark-lawsuit.html__;!!Nf401RNTQFE14GfWW3o!lffxZw7-ON4JflDT22OzuxQicjbgSUBX_S0WaiCQ5dQQl-kzDCIHkiruyFoXj9YtrHk6DWQsdQxD8oltztuHspOsWTgLI9w$"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/world/europe/vetements-trademark-lawsuit.html</a>
raises a few questions for me:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li
class="m-4817288844288348256msolistparagraph">
The NY Times reporter analogizes
the registration of VEUVE
CLIQUOT, which means \u201cwidow
cliquot\u201d 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?</li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<ol start="2" type="1">
<li
class="m-4817288844288348256msolistparagraph">
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?
</li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<ol start="3" type="1">
<li
class="m-4817288844288348256msolistparagraph">
The applicant\u2019s response to the
OA included the argument that
\u201cvetements\u201d referred only to
clothing as a category, while
they are applying to register
specific items of clothing: \u201c<i>Although
the word \u201cclothing\u201d 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 \u201cbuy a
clothing.\u201d 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\u201d. </i>I understand
that we have to try any and
every credible argument, but
that one doesn\u2019t strike me as
falling into that category.
</li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Jessica
R. Friedman</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Attorney
at Law</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>300 East
59 Street, Ste. 2406</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>New York,
NY 10022</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Phone:
212-220-0900</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Cell:
917-647-1884</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>E-mail: <u><a
href="mailto:jrfriedman@litproplaw.com" target="_blank"
title="mailto:jrfriedman@litproplaw.com" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">jrfriedman@litproplaw.com</a></u></span></p>
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target="_blank"
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