Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/19pdf/19-46_8n59.pdf
Page Number: 30

12  PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE v. BOOKING.COM B. V. 

BREYER, J., dissenting 

exclusivity  beyond  the  domain  name  itself?    The  domain 
name  system,  after  all,  already  ensures  that  competitors
cannot appropriate a business’s actual domain name.  And 
unfair-competition  law  will  often  separately  protect  busi-
nesses from passing off and false advertising.  See Genesee 
Brewing Co. v. Stroh Brewing Co., 124 F. 3d 137, 149 (CA2 
1997); 2 McCarthy §12:2. 

Under  the  majority’s  reasoning,  many  businesses  could 
obtain a trademark by adding “.com” to the generic name of 
their product (e.g., pizza.com, flowers.com, and so forth).  As
the internet grows larger, as more and more firms use it to
sell their products, the risk of anticompetitive consequences 
grows.  Those consequences can nudge the economy in an 
anticompetitive  direction.    At  the  extreme,  that  direction 
points  towards  one  firm  per  product,  the  opposite  of  the 
competitive multifirm marketplace that our basic economic 
laws seek to achieve. 

Not to worry, the Court responds, infringement doctrines
such as likelihood of confusion and fair use will restrict the 
scope of protection afforded to “generic.com” marks.  Ante, 
at 12–13.  This response will be cold comfort to competitors 
of “generic.com” brands.  Owners of such marks may seek
to extend the boundaries of their marks through litigation, 
and may, at times succeed.  See, e.g., Advertise.com v. AOL, 
LLC,  2010  WL  11507594  (CD  Cal.)  (owner  of  “Advertis-
ing.com” obtained preliminary injunction against competi-
tor’s use of “Advertise.com”), vacated in part, 616 F. 3d 974
(CA9 2010).  Even if ultimately unsuccessful, the threat of
costly litigation will no doubt chill others from using vari-
ants on the registered mark and privilege established firms
over new entrants to the market.  See Brief for Electronic 
Frontier Foundation as Amicus Curiae 19–20. 

* 
In  sum,  the  term  “Booking.com”  refers  to  an  internet 

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