A few months ago, a trademark application for the registration of the GRASSHOPPERS.COM mark hit the USPTO.
At first, it seemed to be “yet another” generic domain application. Since the Booking.com case last summer, owners of generic domains have applied for similar registrations in droves.
But while the GRASSHOPPERS.COM application is for cannabis products and services, the web site at Grasshoppers.com is about shoes.
What is going on?
It was a typo in the application, it seems. The mark should have been GRAZZHOPPERS.COM and a month later an amendment had to be filed, correcting the mark being applied for.
And this is a problem with creative domain names that are derived from actual words: mistakes such as this can create costly issues. In this case, the application amendment hopefully will make things easier, as “GRAZZHOPPERS” is not a real word, rendering the mark fanciful.
