214-244-4608 Rhonda@HarperLCR.com
Rhonda Harper has conducted thousands of surveys, hundreds of them for litigation purposes.
A trademark genericness survey typically seeks to assess whether relevant consumers consider a mark to be a common name or design, or a brand name or design. If consumers believe the mark is a common name, it provides strong evidence that the mark is generic. Similarly, if consumers believe the mark is associated with a single brand, the evidence is strong that the mark is not generic. There are two main types of genericness surveys: a Teflon survey and a Thermos survey. The Teflon survey is more commonly used in genericness cases.
Rhonda Harper follows the standards set by Dr. Shari Diamond, among others, to ensure the validity of her research studies. These include:
A trademark is generic when it is used to identify a category as a whole rather than identify the source for a specific product or service. Generic marks, therefore, fail to merit trademark protection. Even marks that have trademark protection may lose it if, through extensive use by other brands within the category, they become associated with a category rather than a specific brand.
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