Swiss Clothier Fails in Trademark Appeal of ‘Clothes’ in French

Swiss fashion company Vetements Group AG can’t register its name as a clothing trademark because the French brand translates to “clothes,” the Federal Circuit affirmed Wednesday in a precedential opinion.

Vetements is generic—and therefore can’t be registered—under the doctrine of foreign equivalents, which accounts for translations of foreign words when assessing consumer perception of trademarks, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said. An “appreciable number” of US consumers speak French and would likely translate the term to “clothing,” which is generic for its products, the court said.

Judge Evan Wallach’s opinion distinguished the case from foreign equivalent ...