Haughton Elevator Co. v. Seeberger
Decisions of the Commissioner of Patents
85 U.S.P.Q. 80 (1950)
Relevant factsFree
Charles Seeberger (defendant) registered "ESCALATOR" as a trademark in 1900, later assigned to Otis Elevator Company. Decades later, Haughton Elevator Company (plaintiff) petitioned to cancel the registration, presenting evidence that the general public, industry trade groups, and even Otis itself had come to use "escalator" simply to describe any moving inclined staircase, regardless of manufacturer. The examiner sustained the cancellation petition, and Seeberger appealed.
IssueFree
Whether a trademark that evolves over time into a generic term for a class of goods, rather than remaining a source-identifying term, may lose its trademark status.
Related cases
King-Seeley Thermos Co. v. Aladdin Industries, Inc.321 F.2d 577 (1963)Bayer Co. v. United Drug Co.272 F. 505 (1921)Filipino Yellow Pages, Inc. v. Asian Journal Publications, Inc.198 F.3d 1143 (1999)The Murphy Door Bed Co., Inc. v. Interior Sleep Systems, Inc.874 F.2d 95 (2d Cir. 1989)E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. v. Yoshida International, Inc.393 F. Supp. 502 (1975)