Opinion ID: 2792301
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Word Mark

Text: To assess the distinctiveness of a word mark, our circuit relies on the spectrum set forth by Judge Friendly in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. v. Hunting World, Inc., 537 F.2d 4, 9 (2d Cir. 1976). Abercrombie divided marks into five categories: (1) generic, (2) descriptive, (3) suggestive, (4) arbitrary, and (5) fanciful. Id. 2 While suggestive, arbitrary, and fanciful marks are inherently distinctive, generic marks cannot be distinctive, and descriptive marks are distinctive only if they have acquired “secondary meaning.” Sugar Busters LLC v. Brennan, 177 F.3d 258, 268 (5th Cir. 1999). In categorizing a term, we must examine the context in which the term is used. Union Nat’l Bank of Tex., Laredo, Tex. v. Union Nat’l Bank of Tex., Austin, Tex., 909 F.2d 839, 847 (5th Cir. 1990). We consider “how [the term] is used with other words,” “the products or services to which it is applied,” and “the audience to which the relevant product or service is directed.” Id. “[T]he question is, ‘What do the buyers understand by the word for whose use the parties are contending?’” Id. (quoting Bayer Co. v. United Drug Co., 272 F. 505, 509 (S.D.N.Y. 1921) (Hand, J.)). Although “summary judgment is rarely appropriate” on the factual question of categorization, Xtreme Lashes, LLC, 576 F.3d at 232, we may affirm a grant of summary judgment where the “‘record compels the conclusion that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.’” Amazing Spaces, 608 2 The Third Circuit has provided concise examples of what constitutes each type of mark: “(1) arbitrary or fanciful (such as ‘KODAK’); (2) suggestive (such as ‘COPPERTONE’); (3) descriptive (such as ‘SECURITY CENTER’); and (4) generic (such as ‘DIET CHOCOLATE FUDGE SODA’).” Freedom Card, Inc. v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., 432 F.3d 463, 472 (3d Cir. 2005) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). 7 Case: 13-30918 Document: 00512998539 Page: 8 Date Filed: 04/08/2015 No. 13-30918 F.3d at 234 (quoting Bd. of Supervisors for La. State Univ. Agric. & Mech. Coll. v. Smack Apparel Co. (Smack Apparel), 550 F.3d 465, 474 (5th Cir. 2008)). The district court found, and Nola Spice argues on appeal, that “Mardi Gras Bead Dog” is not entitled to trademark protection because it is generic, or alternatively, because it is descriptive and has not acquired secondary meaning. Haydel argues that “Mardi Gras Bead Dog” is suggestive as applied to its jewelry and arbitrary as applied to its clothing and king cakes. “A generic term is the name of a particular genus or class of which an individual article or service is but a member.” Amazing Spaces, 608 F.3d at 241 (citation omitted); see also Schwan’s IP, LLC v. Kraft Pizza Co., 460 F.3d 971, 974 (8th Cir. 2006) (“A generic term . . . refers to the common name or nature of the article.”). “The test for genericness is whether the public perceives the term primarily as the designation of the article.” Soc’y of Fin. Exam’rs v. Nat’l Ass’n of Certified Fraud Exam’rs Inc., 41 F.3d 223, 227 (5th Cir. 1995) (internal quotation marks, citation, and alterations omitted). The record evidence, read in the light most favorable to Haydel, demonstrates that the term “Mardi Gras Bead Dog” refers to the figure of a dog made from Mardi Gras beads. David Haydel, Jr., testified that “[b]ead dog, beaded dog, a dog made of beads are all common terms for describing” a dog made from Mardi Gras-style beads. Dawn Turner, a Louisiana resident, submitted an affidavit stating that she has “childhood memories of making handmade bead dogs from broken Mardi Gras beads.” Similarly, Mary-Clare Manson stated in an affidavit that at Mardi Gras parades, her daughter learned from other children “how to twist the broken beads into the shape of a dog, which we have called bead dogs for many years.” Although these trinkets are sometimes described as “bead dogs” and not “Mardi Gras bead dogs,” Philip Weddle, the artist who created Haydel’s bead dog design, agreed at his 8 Case: 13-30918 Document: 00512998539 Page: 9 Date Filed: 04/08/2015 No. 13-30918 deposition that the terms “Mardi Gras” and “bead dog” “naturally go together:” “You know, it’s a bead dog. It’s kind of hard . . . not [to] put them together, Mardi Gras.” Indeed, the Copyright Office, in response to Haydel’s application for a copyright registration in its bead dog design, noted that “Mardi Gras bead dogs . . . have apparently become well-known and traditional parts of Mardi Gras.” The record evidence thus makes clear that the relevant public—those familiar with Mardi Gras traditions—perceives the term “Mardi Gras bead dog” primarily to refer to a dog made of Mardi Gras beads. However, Haydel does not sell dogs made of Mardi Gras beads. Rather, Haydel sells silver jewelry in the shape of bead dogs, clothing with the image of a bead dog, and king cakes containing or accompanied by bead dog figurines. 3 On this record, therefore, the term “Mardi Gras Bead Dog” describes a characteristic of Haydel’s products, and not the products themselves. Nola Spice therefore has not carried its burden at summary judgment of demonstrating that “Mardi Gras Bead Dog” is generic as applied to Haydel’s jewelry, clothing, and king cake. The district court nevertheless properly classified Haydel’s mark as descriptive. “A descriptive term identifies a characteristic or quality of an article or service, such as its color, odor, function, dimensions, or ingredients.” Amazing Spaces, 608 F.3d at 241 (citation omitted). “Examples of descriptive marks would include Alo with reference to products containing gel of the aloe vera plant and Vision Center in reference to a business offering optical goods and services.” Id. We have noted that “the concept of descriptiveness must be 3Haydel’s lawyer stated to the district court that Haydel “[p]ut a bead dog [made of metal or ceramic] in a king cake with a ribbon, which is called a pull.” In addition, David Haydel, Sr. stated in an affidavit that Haydel baked a record-sized king cake on September 22, 2010, and that “[e]very box with a king cake piece that was sold on [that day] contained a small statue of Haydel’s MARDI GRAS BEAD DOG mascot.” 9 Case: 13-30918 Document: 00512998539 Page: 10 Date Filed: 04/08/2015 No. 13-30918 construed rather broadly.” Zatarains, Inc. v. Oak Grove Smokehouse, Inc., 698 F.2d 786, 792 (5th Cir. 1983) (internal quotation marks, alteration, and citation omitted), abrogated on other grounds by KP Permanent Make–Up, Inc. v. Lasting Impression I, Inc., 543 U.S. 111 (2004). A central inquiry to assess descriptiveness is the “imagination test,” which “seeks to measure the relationship between the actual words of the mark and the product to which they are applied.” Id. “If a word requires imagination to apply it to the product or service in question, it tends to show that the term as used is suggestive. On the other hand, if the word conveys information about the product, it is descriptive.” Union Nat’l Bank of Tex., 909 F.2d at 848. The record makes clear that the phrase “Mardi Gras Bead Dog” conveys information about Haydel’s clothing, jewelry, and king cake. The bead dog design embodied in each of these products is, in Haydel’s words, a “rendering of the old time bead dog.” In addition, Haydel’s own public statements closely link these products to the traditional Mardi Gras bead dog. Haydel advertises its clothing on its website as “Mardi Gras Bead Dog parade gear,” next to a description of the Mardi Gras tradition of twisting beads into the shape of a dog. Likewise, Haydel advertises its jewelry as a way to “[s]how your Mardi Gras spirit year round.” Fleurty Girl, which sells Haydel’s jewelry pursuant to a license, published the following advertisement: “In New Orleans, you can twist your Mardi Gras beads a certain number of ways and make what we call a Bead Dog. Now available for the first time ever in sterling silver.” These statements make clear that the bead dog image is a central aspect of Haydel’s clothing and jewelry. Similarly, the use of “Mardi Gras bead dog” in connection with king cake, a popular Mardi Gras tradition, conveys information about the bead dog figurine inside or accompanying the king cake. No reasonable juror 10 Case: 13-30918 Document: 00512998539 Page: 11 Date Filed: 04/08/2015 No. 13-30918 could find that imagination is required to link Haydel’s clothing, jewelry, and king cake to the phrase “Mardi Gras bead dog,” as Haydel uses that phrase. A second test to determine descriptiveness is “whether competitors would be likely to need the terms used in the trademark in describing their products.” Zatarains, 698 F.2d at 793 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). An article in a magazine published by Haydel describes the traditional bead dog as “a fond memory of Mardi Gras’ past and symbol of the City’s youth.” Another magazine article refers to the traditional bead dog as “an iconic Mardi Gras symbol.” Given the bead dog’s popularity and its close connection to Mardi Gras, common sense indicates that other vendors would need to use the term “Mardi Gras bead dog” to describe their own Mardi Grasthemed clothing, accessories, and baked goods containing the image of a bead dog. See id. (“Common sense indicates that in this case merchants other than Zatarain’s might find the term ‘fish fry’ useful in describing their own particular batter mixes.”) In response to compelling evidence of descriptiveness, Haydel fails to identify evidence raising a genuine factual issue as to the word mark’s inherent distinctiveness. Haydel argues that its word mark must be suggestive as applied to jewelry because Nola Spice conceded in its motion for summary judgment that “Haydel does not make and sell bead dogs.” However, that statement at most reflects that the phrase “Mardi Gras bead dog” is not generic as applied to Haydel’s merchandise. Indeed, other phrases conveying a product’s shape have been found to be descriptive. See Vox Amplification Ltd. v. Meussdorffer, No. 13-4922, 2014 WL 558866, at  (E.D.N.Y. Feb. 11, 2014) (“‘Teardrop[,]’ . . . used in conjunction with a teardrop-shaped instrument body, is clearly descriptive.”), adopted, – F. Supp. 3d –, 2014 WL 4829578 (E.D.N.Y. 2014); In re Carlson Dolls Co., 31 U.S.P.Q. 2d 1319, at  (T.T.A.B. 1994) 11 Case: 13-30918 Document: 00512998539 Page: 12 Date Filed: 04/08/2015 No. 13-30918 (finding that the name “Martha Washington” is descriptive of a doll intended to represent the historical figure Martha Washington). Also unpersuasive is Haydel’s argument that its word mark is arbitrary as applied to clothing and king cake. Arbitrary marks “bear no relationship to the products or services to which they are applied.” Amazing Spaces, 608 F.3d at 241 (citation omitted); see also Union Nat’l Bank of Tex., 909 F.2d at 845 (“[T]he term ‘arbitrary’ refers to ordinary words which do not suggest or describe the services involved.”). Haydel notes that “Apple” is commonly described as an arbitrary mark in connection with computers, even though an Apple computer displays the image of an apple. See Sport Supply Grp., Inc. v. Columbia Cas. Co., 335 F.3d 453, 460 n.7 (5th Cir. 2003). However, a mark’s categorization under the Abercrombie typology depends on the context in which it appears and on the nature of the products sold. See Union Nat’l Bank of Tex., 909 F.2d at 847. Apple Computer sells electronic products, which bear no relationship to the fruit. By contrast, Haydel’s public statements make clear that it is marketing Mardi Gras-related merchandise; the bead dog image on its clothing and the bead dog figurine inside or accompanying its king cake are part of and describe the product being sold. No reasonable juror could therefore conclude that the phrase “Mardi Gras bead dog” “bear[s] no relationship” to Haydel’s clothing and king cake. Amazing Spaces, 608 F.3d at 241 (citation omitted). Because the record compels the conclusion that Haydel’s word mark is descriptive as applied to jewelry, clothing, and king cake, the mark is legally protectable as a source identifier only if it has acquired secondary meaning, which we discuss below.