1301.04(e) Whether the Mark Functions as a Service Mark
The proposed mark must actually function as a source-indicating service mark for the services identified in the application to be registrable. Thus, registration must be refused if, for example, the specimen shows the mark serves solely as a trade name (see TMEP §1202.01), only as the name of a downloadable or recorded computer software program or application (see TMEP §1301.02(f)), exclusively as the name of a method, process, or system (see TMEP §1301.02(e)), or merely as informational matter (see TMEP §§1202.04, 1301.02(a)).
The presence of the "TM" or "SM" symbol on the specimen cannot transform an unregistrable designation into a registrable mark. Univ. of Ky. v. 40-0, LLC, 2021 USPQ2d 253, at *32-33 (TTAB 2021) (citing In re Eagle Crest, Inc., 96 USPQ2d 1227, 1231 (TTAB 2010)); In re British Caledonian Airways Ltd., 218 USPQ 737, 739 (TTAB 1983); TMEP §1202.04.
See 37 C.F.R. §2.59 and TMEP §904.05 and §904.07–904.07(b)(i) regarding substitute specimens.