"Generic" to You is "Generic" to the USPTO - the Laser-Guided Bomb Case

A basic—but important—principle of trademark law is that generic terms cannot be claimed as trademarks. The rationale for this rule is simple: Starbucks cannot trademark “coffee cup” because everyone needs to be able to call a coffee cup a “coffee cup”. In order to be protectable as a trademark, a term must be sufficiently unique to be identifiable with a single product or service provider in the...