DNA Phrase Too Descriptive for Registered Trademark, TTAB Says; Bloomberg Law, January 6, 2020

Kyle Jahner, Bloomberg Law; DNA Phrase Too Descriptive for Registered Trademark, TTAB Says

"A biotech company lost its bid to register a trademark for a patented DNA technique it invented, after a Patent and Trademark tribunal said the phrase “Sequencing by Binding” was too descriptive to register.

The Jan. 6 precedential decision illustrates that multi-word trademarks, even if coined by an applicant, can still fall short of the requirements for trademark registration."