Legal News

Earlier this week, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Booking.com can be trademarked. The 8-1 decision was a good read, and there was some interesting insight from the opinion. The dissent, written by Justice Stephen Breyer, included some positive language that will likely be referenced by generic .com domain name registrants:

Breyer: “The owner of a generic domain name enjoys these benefits… because she was fortunate (or savvy) enough to be the first to appropriate a particularly valuable piece of online real estate.”

Of course, perhaps she acquired it rather than being the first to register it. https://t.co/t4wCm8Eq6t pic.twitter.com/lyLzQm9te4

— Nat Cohen (@domainarts) June 30, 2020

Because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments via teleconference for the first time in its history. On the docket before SCOTUS is the Booking.com trademark, where Booking.com seeks trademark protection for its brand, which is comprised of a generic term and the .com domain name extension. The case has been followed closely by many people in the domain name business, but particularly industry attorneys:

Pretty cool to have Supreme Court oral argument streamed. Super exciting to have it cover #domains and #trademark law. If you missed it listen here: https://t.co/l8aEyPkahv

— Jason Schaeffer (@TLDadvisor) May 4, 2020