Opinion ID: 162544
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Distinctiveness and Secondary Meaning

Text: 31 A trade dress is inherently distinctive if its intrinsic nature serves to identify a particular source. Two Pesos, 505 U.S. at 768, 112 S.Ct. 2753. Such trade dresses almost automatically tell a customer that they refer to a brand and immediately signal a brand or a product source. Samara Bros., 529 U.S. at 212-13, 120 S.Ct. 1339 (citation, quotations, and alteration omitted). Like trademarks, the inherent distinctiveness of a trade dress is categorized along the generic-descriptive-suggestive-arbitrary-fanciful spectrum. See Two Pesos, 505 U.S. at 768, 112 S.Ct. 2753. A trade dress which is not inherently distinctive, however, may acquire distinctiveness through secondary meaning. Id. at 769, 112 S.Ct. 2753. In other words, over time customers may associate the primary significance of a dress feature with the source of the product rather than the product itself. See Qualitex Co. v. Jacobson Prods. Co., 514 U.S. 159, 163, 115 S.Ct. 1300, 131 L.Ed.2d 248 (1995). When a trade dress has become distinctive of a product's source, courts have permitted protection under § 43(a) of the Lanham Act. See Two Pesos, 505 U.S. at 769, 112 S.Ct. 2753. 32 Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Sally Beauty, this court concludes that a genuine issue of material fact exists whether Sally Beauty's trade dress is descriptive. A trade dress is descriptive if it conveys an immediate idea of the ingredients, qualities or characteristics of the goods. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. v. Hunting World, Inc., 537 F.2d 4, 11 (2d Cir.1976). Sally Beauty's trade dress includes the mark Generic Value Products, a product comparison to a salon brand product, and side-by-side ingredients listing for the product and the comparable salon brand product. Taken together, a reasonable jury could conclude that these elements immediately convey the qualities and characteristics of the product, i.e., Generic Value Products is a comparable alternative to salon brand products. Indeed, the trade dress includes a textual element called The Generic Story, which states that Generic Value Products are as good as the `higher priced' quality NAME BRANDS but available at `Popular Prices'. 33 A descriptive trade dress, however, is not entitled to trade dress protection unless it has acquired secondary meaning in the marketplace. See Two Pesos, 505 U.S. at 769, 112 S.Ct. 2753. Whether a trade dress has acquired secondary meaning is a question of fact and thus generally should not be decided at the summary judgment stage. See Marker Int'l v. DeBruler, 844 F.2d 763, 764 (10th Cir.1988). A trade dress acquires secondary meaning when its primary significance in the minds of potential consumers is no longer as an indicator of something about the product itself but as an indicator of its source or brand. Vornado Air Circulation Sys., 58 F.3d at 1502; see also Two Pesos, 505 U.S. at 766 n. 4, 112 S.Ct. 2753. The ultimate inquiry is whether in the consumer's mind the mark denotes a single thing coming from a single source. That single source, however, need not be known by name by consumers. Stuart Hall Co. v. Ampad Corp., 51 F.3d 780, 789 (8th Cir.1995) (quotations and citations omitted). 34 Sally Beauty relies on three categories of evidence which it argues establish secondary meaning: (1) a history of successful sales; (2) evidence of intentional copying by Beautyco; and (3) long use of the Sally Beauty trade dress. This court has previously considered proof of intentional copying as relevant to whether a trademark has acquired secondary meaning. See Marker Int'l, 844 F.2d at 764. Other circuits have considered the sales volume of the product featuring the trade dress in a likelihood of confusion analysis. See Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc. v. Am. Eagle Outfitters, Inc., 280 F.3d 619, 640 n. 14 (6th Cir.2002); Checkpoint Sys., Inc. v. Check Point Software Techs., Inc., 269 F.3d 270, 283 n. 10 (3d Cir.2001). 35 The parties do not dispute that the Plaintiffs have sold millions of dollars of Generic Value Products featuring the Sally Beauty trade dress. Standing alone, sales volume may not be indicative of secondary meaning because it could be related to factors other than source identification. See Herman Miller, Inc. v. Palazzetti Imports & Exports, Inc., 270 F.3d 298, 313-14 (6th Cir.2001). Sales volume, however, may indicate secondary meaning when presented in conjunction with other evidence. See id. Here, Sally Beauty also cites to record evidence which indicates that Beautyco intentionally copied some aspect of the Generic Value Products line. See Section IV.A.2, supra. Viewing this evidence in the light most favorable to Sally Beauty, we conclude that a genuine issue of material fact exists whether Sally Beauty's trade dress has acquired distinctiveness. 4