Booking.com Isn’t a Valid Trademark, Patent Office Tells Justices

Booking.com shouldn’t be allowed to register its name as a trademark because the term can’t be protected, a federal agency told the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has petitioned the high court to reverse a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit that Booking.com can be a valid mark because surveyed customers identify the term as a brand name.

The Supreme Court, if it takes the case, would have the chance to clarify the extent to which top-level domains such as .com and .net can transform ordinary words into protectable trademarks.

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