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AP Photo/John Minchillo

Google tries to trademark the word 'Glass' but it's facing problems

The US Patent and Trademark office objected to the company’s bid saying the word glass was a “merely descriptive” term.

REMEMBER WHEN KING tried to trademark the word ‘Saga’, but was met with resistance? Google is currently facing the same problem as it tries to trademark the word ‘Glass’.

The company has been held back by the US Patent and Trademark Office which has voiced its concerns with the trademark bid, according to the Wall Street Journal.

There were two reasons for the objection. The first was it would cause confusion between Google’s product and other software and hardware trademarks that use the word, while the second is the word ‘Glass’ is “merely descriptive” according to the patent office. Generic terms don’t have trademark protection under US federal law.

Google has already successfully trademarked the term “Google Glass”, and the company has challenged the decision by providing a 1,928-page letter – roughly 1,900 pages are reportedly just clips of articles about Google Glass – in defense of the application.

It argued the amount of media coverage and attention Google Glass has received over the last few years wouldn’t result in confusion. It also disagreed with its use of the term “merely descriptive” saying “the frame and display components of the Glass device do not consist of glass at all.”

The patent office has yet to reach a final decision on the matter.

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