The operators of Chickens.com, a domain registered in 1996, have applied for the registration of the matching CHICKENS.COM trademark.
As expected, the application was filed with America’s favorite food in mind:
Retail store services featuring animal feed, animal treats, and other foodstuffs.
The trademark was applied for with a date of first use being April 27, 2021 and the mark is a combination of a graphic symbol and the word CHICKENS.COM. There is another application by the same applicant, Nickolas Brands, that only includes the domain name.
The domain Chickens.com has never been reported as sold and does not exist in the NameBio database, but WHOIS history indicates that it was sold by GoDaddy outfit NameFind around October 29, 2018.
Why was CHICKENS.COM applied for as a trademark at the USPTO?
It’s an ongoing trend among owners of generic domain names, following the decision by SCOTUS on the Booking.com trademark application.
Since then, dozens of generic domain names have been applied to be registered as trademarks, inclusive of the TLD. We keep track of these applications, and so far none has been decided upon.
As of January 5th, 2021, BOOKING.COM is a registered trademark with the USPTO.
Will these applications become the new norm? Watch this video from NamesCon Online 2020.