The operators of the ultra-premium domain name, Lottery.com, have applied for a federal trademark registration at the USPTO.
Registered in 1998, the domain Lottery.com appears to have changed hands in 2017, due to WHOIS changes and a reference to a 2017 date in the application, as date of “first use.” Then again, it might be a re-allocation of the domain to a new entity forming from its previous owners.
The trademark application was filed in February 2021 by Texas-based corporation, AutoLotto Inc. The company formed in 2015, according to Wikipedia.
The application is for LOTTERY.COM for “Lottery Services.” Unlike many other recent applications for trademarks incorporating domain names, this is an application for a stylized form of “lottery.com” that incorporates the “.com” part within the letter “o.”
Why was LOTTERY.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.
