Dessert Cafe Chain's Fame in Korea Can't Block U.S. Trademark

摘要

A South Korean dessert cafe chain's fame wasn't enough to stop a Virginia frozen dessert shop from registering the same name as a trademark . The owner of the Sulbing chain can't rely on the well-known marks doctrine to stop Ashburn, Va.-based Magic Snow LLC from registering the "Sul Bing" name, the Patent and Trademark Office's Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled Sept. 20. The board rejected the argument that the Korean trademark has become known in the Korean-American community, the relevant customer base in the U.S. (Jung v. Magic Snow, LLC, TTAB, No. 91226056, 9/20/17).