Trademark Board Approves Registration for ‘Republic of London’

The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled that “Republic of London” can be registered as a trademark for clothing because such a place doesn’t exist.

The board reversed an examining attorney’s refusal to register the mark, saying the examiner erred in finding that the mark was geographically misdescriptive. The mark must be considered in its whole, the TTAB said in a precedential decision, leading the board to conclude that there is no place called “Republic of London.”

Because the geographic location is fictitious, consumers won’t necessarily assume that the clothing is manufactured or sold in London, England, Administrative Trademark ...