Dungeons & Dragons Guide Trademark Rejection is Affirmed by Board

A Dungeons & Dragons guide seller can’t register “Strongholds & Followers” as a trademark because it appears to function as the title of a work, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board said.

Nothing in the evidence submitted by MCDM Productions LLC, its website, or Kickstarter campaign depicts use of the proposed mark in a manner inconsistent with the title of the role-playing game (RPG) manual MCDM sells, the TTAB said in a precedential opinion. The ruling affirmed a trademark examiner’s rejection.

Under the Lanham Act, titles of single creative works can’t function or be registered as trademarks. MCDM didn’t ...