Clothier Asks Justices to Reign in Foreign Words Trademark Rule

A Swiss apparel maker whose name is the French word for “clothes” told the US Supreme Court the doctrine of foreign equivalents often nullifies legitimate rights to trademarks that are distinctive to nearly all consumers.

Vetements Group AG said it was denied a trademark registration for its name because less than 1% of Americans would translate it to an unprotectable generic term in their heads, according to the company’s petition to the high court docketed Thursday.

Many circuit courts over or unevenly apply the “doctrine of foreign equivalents,” which holds a foreign term isn’t distinctive if enough consumers would recognize ...