The name is “merely a descriptive term.”
The U.S. Patent Trademark Office has refused Snapchat’s application for trademark protection of the term “Spectacles,” according to a memo from the Vision Council.
In the refusal letter, the PTO examiner noted that the Snapchat application describes hardware and peripherals that are optical instruments, including lenses and a frame, the council explains. Her examination determined that the term “spectacles” is used to describe many other optical products, including an existing device advertised as a “spectacle with a camera.”
As such, “Spectacles” was determined to be merely a descriptive term. That makes it ineligible for registration under the Trademark Act.
Snapchat had sought to prove foreign registration, but the company’s application is currently suspended due to a failure to provide timely evidence, according to the Vision Council’s “industry update” memo. The company may try to narrow its application for specific use, but will not be able to claim and trademark ownership for the word “spectacles,” the memo explains.
The company’s Spectacles are sunglasses with a built-in camera capable of recording video. They allow wearers to share videos using the popular Snapchat app.
The videos can last up to 10 seconds.