1211.01(b)(viii)    Surname Combined with Legal or Familial Entity Designation

The addition of wording that merely indicates the legal entity of an applicant, such as "Corporation," "Inc.," "Ltd.," "Company," or "Co.," or the family business structure of an applicant, such as "& Sons" or "Bros.," does not diminish the surname significance of a term that is otherwise primarily merely a surname. See In re I. Lewis Cigar Mfg. Co., 205 F.2d 204, 98 USPQ 265 (C.C.P.A. 1953) (holding S. SEIDENBERG & CO’S. primarily merely a surname); In re Piano Factory Grp. Inc., 85 USPQ2d 1522 (TTAB 2006) (holding VOSE & SONS primarily merely a surname). In fact, adding the familial entity designation "& SONS" to a surname was found to emphasize or reinforce the surname significance of the mark. Piano Factory Grp. Inc., 85 USPQ2d at 1527.