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

BREYER, J., dissenting 

data, which, as I have explained, may be an unreliable in-
dicator of genericness.  As the leading treatise writer in this
field has observed, this approach “[d]iscard[s] the predicta-
ble and clear line rule of the [PTO] and the Federal Circuit” 
in  favor  of  “a  nebulous  and  unpredictable  zone  of  generic 
name and top level domain combinations that somehow be-
come  protectable  marks  when  accompanied  by  favorable
survey  results.”    1  McCarthy  §7:17.50.    I  would  heed  this 
criticism. 
In  my  view,  a  term  that  takes  the  form
“generic.com” is not eligible for federal trademark registra-
tion, at least not ordinarily.  There being no special circum-
stance here, I believe that “Booking.com” is a generic term
not eligible for federal registration as a trademark. 

II 
In  addition  to  the  doctrinal  concerns  discussed  above, 
granting  trademark  protection  to  “generic.com”  marks
threatens  serious  anticompetitive  consequences  in  the
online marketplace. 

The owners of short, generic domain names enjoy all the 
advantages of doing business under a generic name.  These 
advantages  exist  irrespective  of  the  trademark  laws.    Ge-
neric names are easy to remember.  Because they immedi-
ately convey the nature of the business, the owner needs to
expend less effort and expense educating consumers.  See 
Meystedt, What Is My URL Worth? Placing a Value on Pre-
mium  Domain  Names,  19  Valuation  Strategies  10,  12
(2015) (Meystedt) (noting “ability to advertise a single URL 
and convey exactly what business a company operates”); cf.
Folsom & Teply, Trademarked Generic Words, 89 Yale L. J. 
1323, 1337–1338 (1980) (Folsom & Teply) (noting “ ‘free ad-
vertising’ effect”).  And a generic business name may create 
the impression that it is the most authoritative and trust-
worthy  source  of  the  particular  good  or  service.    See 
Meystedt  12  (noting  that  generic  domain  names  inspire
“[i]nstant  trust  and  credibility”  and  “[a]uthority  status  in