Johnson & Johnson v. Stryker Corporation

Two sailing enthusiasts, Thomas Guy and Chris Jacobs, have developed an app for fellow sailors, allowing them to capture their experience in one place. SailTies brand has instantly become loved by the sailing community and naturally, its founders have smartly focused on brand protection through trademark registration from the very start! Read the full story of turning a sailing hobby into the beloved app.

By definition, a trademark needs to display sufficient distinctiveness to identify the origin and ownership of the products and services. That means generic and descriptive words should be avoided at all costs. The landmark case in United States PTO v. Booking.com B.V, however, proves that a generic term combined with “.com” or another top-level domain can be registered as a trademark if there is sufficient evidence of consumer recognition.

Global market value of the gaming industry is estimated at $203 billion and is expected to increase up to $545.98 billion by 2028 [1]. Nearly two thirds of all adolescents and adults admit playing video games on at least one platform [2]. Thought-provoking insights in this article highlight the crucial role of brand protection through trademark registration in order to amplify the success of game developers!