Geographic terms describe a geographic region. Trademarks involving a geographical term are “weak” because they describe, and they are entitled to a narrow scope of protection.
A mark composed entirely of a geographic term may be registrable only on the Supplemental Register or on the Principal Register upon proving secondary meaning and/or acquired distinctiveness, which means that the mark has become a distinctive source identifier of that party’s goods.
A mark that is a composite of a geographic term and a distinctive term may be able to register on the Principal Register if the geographic term can be disclaimed and the remaining part of the composite term is distinctive.
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