Opinion ID: 626569
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Law of Descriptiveness

Text: A term is merely descriptive if it immediately conveys knowledge of a quality, feature, function, or characteristic of the goods or services with which it is used. In re Bayer Aktiengesellschaft, 488 F.3d 960, 963 (Fed.Cir.2007) (citing In re Gyulay, 820 F.2d 1216, 1217 (Fed.Cir. 1987)). Whether a mark is descriptive cannot be determined in the abstract. Id. at 963-64. Descriptiveness must be evaluated in relation to the particular goods for which registration is sought, the context in which it is being used, and the possible significance that the term would have to the average purchaser of the goods because of the manner of its use or intended use. Id. A descriptive mark can be registered if it has obtained secondary meaning or acquired distinctiveness, whereby the mark has come to serve a trademark function of identifying a particular source of goods or services. See Two Pesos, Inc. v. Taco Cabana, Inc., 505 U.S. 763, 769, 112 S.Ct. 2753, 120 L.Ed.2d 615 (1992); 15 U.S.C. § 1052(f) ([N]othing in this chapter shall prevent the registration of a mark used by the applicant which has become distinctive of the applicant's goods in commerce.). To establish secondary meaning or acquired distinctiveness, an applicant must show that in the minds of the public, the primary significance of a product feature or term is to identify the source of the product rather than the product itself. Inwood Labs., Inc. v. Ives Labs., 456 U.S. 844, 851 n. 11, 102 S.Ct. 2182, 72 L.Ed.2d 606 (1982). COC's applications in this case are based not on actual use in commerce, but on a bona fide intent to use the NATIONAL CHAMBER mark in connection with the Subject Services, pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 1051(b). Accordingly, COC does not rely on any claim of secondary meaning or acquired distinctiveness to overcome the descriptiveness refusal, and we must analyze the mark to determine whether it is by its terms descriptive of the Subject Services based on the evidence of record. A mark need not recite each feature of the relevant goods or services in detail to be descriptive, it need only describe a single feature or attribute. In re Dial-A-Mattress Operating Corp., 240 F.3d 1341, 1346 (Fed.Cir.2001) (holding that 1-888-M-A-T-T-R-E-S-S immediately conveys the impressions that a service relating to mattresses is available by calling the telephone number). Moreover, a mark need not be merely descriptive of all recited goods or services in an application. A descriptiveness refusal is proper if the mark is descriptive of any of the [services] for which registration is sought. In re Stereotaxis Inc., 429 F.3d 1039, 1041 (Fed.Cir.2005) (citations omitted). The TTAB's determination that a mark is merely descriptive is a factual finding which we review for substantial evidence. Bayer, 488 F.3d at 964. Evidence that a term is merely descriptive to the relevant purchasing public may be obtained from any competent source, such as dictionaries, newspapers, or surveys. Id. (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). Evidence will be deemed substantial if a reasonable person could find that the evidence is adequate to support the agency's finding. In re Mighty Leaf Tea, 601 F.3d 1342, 1346 (Fed.Cir.2010).