1211.02(b)(v) Specimens Confirming Surname Significance of Term
The fact that a term appears on the specimen of record in a manner that confirms its surname significance is evidence of the surname significance of a term. See Société Civile Des Domaines Dourthe Frères v. S.A. Consortium Vinicole De Bordeaux Et De La Gironde, 6 USPQ2d 1205, 1208 (TTAB 1988) (holding DOURTHE primarily merely a surname, the Board noted applicant’s references to "Dourthe" as the name of a particular family and found the surname significance of the term to be reinforced by the appearance on applicant’s wine labels of the name and/or signature of an individual named Pierre Dourthe); In re Taverniti, SARL, 225 USPQ 1263, 1264 (TTAB 1985), recon. denied, 228 USPQ 975 (TTAB 1985) (holding J. TAVERNITI primarily merely a surname, the Board considered, among other factors, the presentation of the mark on the specimen in signature form); In re Luis Caballero, S.A., 223 USPQ 355, 356-57 (TTAB 1984) (holding BURDONS primarily merely a surname, the Board weighted heavily the applicant’s use of "Burdon" on the specimen as a surname, albeit of a fictitious character ("John William Burdon")).