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I noticed this news story, which is potentially a big win for "generic" .com domain name owners, since the domains might previously have been unable to be trademarked. If this decision survives any appeals, then the valuation of elite generic .com domains just increased.
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/305749/bookingcom-entitled-to-trademark.html
https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/virginia/vaedce/1:2016cv00425/342093/87/0.pdf
"In a surprising decision, a federal trial judge has ruled that online hotel reservation service Booking.com is entitled to trademark protection for its name.
The decision, issued last week by U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, appears to contradict at least two other opinions issued by a federal appellate court, which ruled that generic terms followed by ".com" are not eligible for trademarks.
...
Brinkema found that although the word "booking" is generic, adding the top-level domain ".com" entitled the company to trademark protection.
She said in the ruling that the risk of consumer confusion or monopolies is "remote."
...
This opinion opens up the door for all of those 'noun-dot-com' tradenames to be potentially registerable," he says."
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/305749/bookingcom-entitled-to-trademark.html
https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/virginia/vaedce/1:2016cv00425/342093/87/0.pdf
"In a surprising decision, a federal trial judge has ruled that online hotel reservation service Booking.com is entitled to trademark protection for its name.
The decision, issued last week by U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, appears to contradict at least two other opinions issued by a federal appellate court, which ruled that generic terms followed by ".com" are not eligible for trademarks.
...
Brinkema found that although the word "booking" is generic, adding the top-level domain ".com" entitled the company to trademark protection.
She said in the ruling that the risk of consumer confusion or monopolies is "remote."
...
This opinion opens up the door for all of those 'noun-dot-com' tradenames to be potentially registerable," he says."
