[E-trademarks] Mark that was not distinctive when registration was granted but maybe is now

Tue Jul 29 19:00:18 UTC 2025

The real mark isn’t 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’t 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.

Jessica R. Friedman

Attorney at Law

300 East 59 Street, Ste. 2406

New York, NY 10022

Phone: 212-220-0900

Cell: 917-647-1884

E-mail: jrfriedman at litproplaw.com<mailto:jrfriedman at litproplaw.com>

URL: www.literarypropertylaw.com<http://www.literarypropertylaw.com>

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From: Edward Timberlake <ed at timberlakelaw.com>
Date: Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at 2:48 PM
To: For trademark practitioners. This is not for laypersons to seek legal advice. <e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com>
Cc: Jessica R. Friedman <jrfriedman at litproplaw.com>
Subject: Re: [E-trademarks] Mark that was not distinctive when registration was granted but maybe is now

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.

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.

[Trademark-Search-07-29-2025_02_45_PM.jpg]

Sincerely,

Ed Timberlake
Board Certified Specialist in Trademark Law<https://www.nclawspecialists.gov/for-lawyers/certification-standard-summaries/trademark-law/>

Timberlake Law<http://timberlakelaw.com/>
Chapel Hill, NC

Schedule a call on Clarity<https://clarity.fm/edtimberlake>
ed at timberlakelaw.com<mailto:ed at timberlakelaw.com>
919.960.1950

[https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/mail-sig/AIorK4zUm0zjuSoSf91b85RXakFjrbAqMcNkJek2_S8VO9eHNz9mDAX5u3RBN0aEhVODltVLqRN-NYsDzt7A]

On Tue, Jul 29, 2025 at 2:14 PM Jessica R. Friedman via E-trademarks <e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com>> wrote:
If I do, then I lose, because clearly it is really the fault of the PTO examiner who said, just disclaim FINANCIAL.

Jessica R. Friedman

Attorney at Law

300 East 59 Street, Ste. 2406

New York, NY 10022

Phone: 212-220-0900

Cell: 917-647-1884

E-mail: jrfriedman at litproplaw.com<mailto:jrfriedman at litproplaw.com>

URL: www.literarypropertylaw.com<http://www.literarypropertylaw.com>

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From: E-trademarks <e-trademarks-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:e-trademarks-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com>> on behalf of asarabia2 via E-trademarks <e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com>>
Date: Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at 2:09 PM
To: e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com> <e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com>>
Cc: asarabia2 <asarabia2 at gmail.com<mailto:asarabia2 at gmail.com>>
Subject: Re: [E-trademarks] Mark that was not distinctive when registration was granted but maybe is now

Don't you have to prove fraud?

Regards,

Tony

IP Business Law, Inc.
320 via Pasqual
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310)377-5171
www.calrestitution.com<http://www.calrestitution.com>

On 7/29/2025 10:29 AM, Jessica R. Friedman via E-trademarks wrote:
(Hypothetical) My client wants to register BROWN PREMIER for financial advisory services. There is a Principal registration on the books for PREMIER FINANCIAL. “Premier” clearly is laudatory; it’s 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’t 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.

If this registration for PREMIER FINANCIAL is cited against an application to register BROWN PREMIER, I’d like to argue that the existing registration shouldn’t 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’s assume that now it is distinctive. Does that fact preclude me from arguing successfully that the registration was invalid from the getgo?

Jessica R. Friedman

Attorney at Law

300 East 59 Street, Ste. 2406

New York, NY 10022

Phone: 212-220-0900

Cell: 917-647-1884

E-mail: jrfriedman at litproplaw.com<mailto:jrfriedman at litproplaw.com>

URL: www.literarypropertylaw.com<http://www.literarypropertylaw.com>

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