Fruit Breeder Trademark Blocked as It Named Plants After Itself

International Fruit Genetics LLC can’t register its initials as a trademark because it used IFG to name plants it patented, a trademark tribunal said.

US trademark law and an international convention treat the name breeders give to plants they create as their generic term, meaning such names can’t be registered as US trademarks, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board said. IFG LLC named a number of grapevine and cherry tree varietals “IFG” followed by a number or word-number combination, with IFG serving as the dominant portion of the plant name, the Tuesday precedential decision said.

Generic marks, which merely name ...