It's Easy, Inc.Download PDFTrademark Trial and Appeal BoardJun 14, 202187782192 (T.T.A.B. Jun. 14, 2021) Copy Citation Oral Hearing: January 23, 2020 Mailed: June 14, 2021 UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE _____ Trademark Trial and Appeal Board _____ In re It’s Easy, Inc. _____ Serial No. 87782192 _____ Dorothy R. Whitney of Cowan Liebowitz & Latman PC for It’s Easy, Inc. Andrew Leaser, Trademark Examining Attorney, Law Office 117, Hellen M. Bryan-Johnson, Managing Attorney. _____ Before Zervas, Wolfson, and Lykos, Administrative Trademark Judges. Opinion by Wolfson, Administrative Trademark Judge: It’s Easy, Inc. (“Applicant”) seeks registration on the Principal Register of the mark IT’S EASY (in standard characters) for: Arranging for and facilitating the obtaining and surrendering of license plates and arranging for and facilitating the obtaining of motor vehicle, motorcycle and boat registrations and registration renewals; transfer of motor vehicle, motorcycle and boat ownership documents and duplicate title documents; arranging for and facilitating the obtaining of birth certificates and social security cards, in International Class 35; and Arranging for and facilitating the obtaining of travel visas, passports and travel documents for persons traveling This Opinion is Not a Precedent of the TTAB Serial No. 87782192 - 2 - abroad; arranging for and facilitating the obtaining of replacement visas, passports and travel documents that have been lost, inadvertently destroyed and/or stolen, in International Class 39.1 The Examining Attorney refused registration under Trademark Act Sections 1, 2, 3, and 45, 15 U.S.C. §§1051-53 and 1127, on the ground that the phrase IT’S EASY is a commonplace widely used slogan that does not function as a service mark to indicate the source of Applicant’s services and to identify and distinguish them from others. Applicant, in traversing the refusal, argued that IT’S EASY had acquired distinctiveness and that registration was proper under Trademark Act Section 2(f), 15 U.S.C. § 1052(f). When the refusal was made final, the Examining Attorney explained that Applicant could not overcome the failure to function refusal by asserting a claim of acquired distinctiveness. Applicant then appealed and requested reconsideration. After Applicant’s request was denied, the appeal resumed. Both Applicant and the Examining Attorney filed briefs and appeared at an oral hearing. Following the oral hearing, the Board remanded the case to the Examining Attorney for further examination, resulting in an additional refusal under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark Act, 15 U.S.C. §1052(e)(1), on the ground that IT’S EASY is merely descriptive of Applicant’s services and that Applicant’s claim of acquired distinctiveness under Section 2(f) is insufficient. Applicant and the Examining 1 Application Serial No. 87782192 was filed February 2, 2018, under Section 1(a) of the Trademark Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1051(a), based on Applicant’s alleged use of the mark in commerce since at least as early as December 1985. Serial No. 87782192 - 3 - Attorney filed supplemental briefs addressing the descriptiveness refusal and issue of acquired distinctiveness. I. Evidence and Arguments A. Examining Attorney The Examining Attorney argues that the term IT’S EASY simply “indicates that something requires little effort or can be done with ease,” 17 TTABVUE 5, and that such sentiment is “readily-understood” and merely “informational.” Id.2 The Examining Attorney further contends that IT’S EASY is widely used in a variety of situations to convey this message. In the alternative, the Examining Attorney argues that IT’S EASY is descriptive of a feature or characteristic of Applicant’s services, and that Applicant has failed to establish that this descriptive designation has acquired distinctiveness. 36 TTABVUE 3. The Examining Attorney supports his arguments with definitions of the word “easy”; excerpts from third-party Internet websites and news articles (showing third-party use of “it’s easy” and expressions derived therefrom); Applicant’s specimen of use and excerpts from Applicant’s website. Examples of dictionary usage include THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE (5th ed. 2016), which defines “easy” as “requiring or 2 All citations in this opinion to the appeal record are to TTABVUE, the docket history system for the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Citations to the prosecution history of the application are to pages from the Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (“TSDR”) database of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). Serial No. 87782192 - 4 - exhibiting little effort or endeavor; undemanding.”3 An online usage guide, “Education First,” lists English idioms and expressions and gives their meaning and usage; the guide states that “It’s a piece of cake” means “It’s easy” and that the expression is used by itself.4 Evidence of use by businesses in Applicant’s field or closely related fields of the same or substantially the same wording as the mark may be probative of consumer perception. The following are representative excerpts from the Internet materials submitted by the Examining Attorney showing third-party use of IT’S EASY: From Travel.State.Gov:5 From the United States Postal Service:6 From Baby Bonanza:7 3 At http://www.yourdictionary.com/easy, attached to May 23, 2018 Office Action, TSDR 2. 4 At https://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-idioms/, June 12, 2019 Denial of Request for Reconsideration, TSDR 6. 5 At https://travel.state.gov, attached to May 23, 2018 Office Action, TSDR 3. 6 At https://about.usps.com, attached to May 23, 2018 Office Action, TSDR 4. 7 At http://www.babybonanza.org, December 5, 2018 Office Action, TSDR 7. Serial No. 87782192 - 5 - From HomeTeam Pest Defense:8 In addition, the Examining Attorney submitted excerpts from Applicant ’s website, https://www.itseasy.com/, wherein Applicant uses “easy” as follows:9 “Traveling for vacation, tourism or business trips, ItsEasy can secure Chinese visas quickly and easily!” “Brazilian tourist and business visas can be made simple and easy - get your Brazil visa today! “Going the extra mile to make it Easy!” “We have been expediting US passports for over 40 years and make obtaining your new passport, well... Easy.” B. Applicant Applicant argues that its proposed mark is not “so ubiquitous that [it] can effectively be equated with generic terms that are incapable of acting as source identifiers.” Reply Brief, 18 TTABVUE 7. Applicant contends that a “more probing 8 At https://pestdefense.com, December 5, 2018 Office Action, TSDR 13. 9 June 12, 2019 Denial of Request for Reconsideration, TSDR 133-136. Serial No. 87782192 - 6 - analysis of the relevant cases, as well as Applicant’s supporting evidence, shows that Applicant’s Mark is appropriately classified as a descriptive term that has acquired the requisite degree of distinctiveness to function as a valid service mark.” Id. at 8. Applicant supports its argument with copies of its prior, now cancelled, registrations for the marks IT’S EASY and IT’S EASY and design;10 15 third-party registrations for the mark IT’S EASY and for similar marks such as IT’S SO EASY, IT’S THAT EASY, and WE MAKE IT EASY;11 and the Declaration of David Alwadish, Applicant’s President, in support of Applicant’s claim to acquired distinctiveness based on 35 years of use of the term IT’S EASY.12 The third-party registrations, based on use and for which specimens of use were submitted, include Reg. No. 5311332 for IT’S EASY for legal services (registered October 17, 2017); several registrations for the mark ITS SO EASY, such as Reg. No. 2152739 for ITS SO EASY for retail store services in the field of window coverings 10 Reg. Nos. 3118810 and 3125429, attached to November 14, 2018 Response to Office Action, TSDR 11-12. The cancelled registrations have no probative value other than as evidence that they issued. Once a federal registration is cancelled or expires, all presumptions, rights, and privileges associated with that registration terminate. In re Cordua Rests., Inc., 823 F.3d 594, 118 USPQ2d 1632, 1635 (Fed. Cir. 2016); see also In re Datapipe, Inc., 111 USPQ2d 1330, 1336 n.11 (TTAB 2014) (“We have long held that cancelled or expired registrations are not evidence of anything except that they issued.”). 11 November 14, 2018 Response to Office Action, TSDR 14-29. The specimens of use from each file are attached at TSDR 31-44. We accord little weight to the third-party registrations attached to Applicant’s May 22, 2019 Request for Reconsideration for the mark WE DELIVER, and for marks containing the word “simple,” such as IT’S SIMPLE and IT’S A SIMPLE THING. These have little probative value as they project different connotations and overall commercial impressions than does Applicant’s mark. 12 May 22, 2019, Request for Reconsideration, TSDR 100-105. Mr. Alwadish attests to continuous use of the word mark from “as early as December 1985,” and continuous use of the design mark beginning on November 15, 2004, in association with the recited services. Id. at 100-01. Serial No. 87782192 - 7 - (registered April 21, 1998, renewed); Reg. No. 5120764 for WE MAKE IT EASY for providing an online marketplace and for advertising services (registered January 10, 2017); and Reg. No. 5146696 for for moving company services (registered February 21, 2017).13 II. Mere Descriptiveness and Acquired Distinctiveness We begin with the Examining Attorney’s mere descriptiveness refusal and finding that Applicant’s showing of acquired distinctiveness is insufficient. A mark is “merely descriptive” within the meaning of Trademark Act Section 2(e)(1) “if it immediately conveys information concerning a feature, quality, or characteristic of the goods or services for which registration is sought .” In re N.C. Lottery, 866 F.3d 1363, 123 USPQ2d 1707, 1709 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (citing In re Bayer A.G., 488 F.3d 960, 82 USPQ2d 1828, 1831 (Fed. Cir. 2007)); Yarnell Ice Cream, 2019 USPQ2d 265039 at *5. A merely descriptive mark can be registered on the Principal Register only upon a showing that it has acquired distinctiveness. Trademark Act Section 2(f), 15 U.S.C. § 1052(f) (“nothing herein shall prevent the registration of a mark used by the applicant which has become distinctive of the applicant ’s goods in commerce”). By seeking registration of its proposed mark IT’S EASY pursuant to Section 2(f), Applicant has conceded that this wording is at least merely descriptive of its services. See Cold War Museum, Inc. v. Cold War Air Museum, Inc., 586 F.3d 1352, 92 USPQ2d 13 November 14, 2018 Response to Office Action, TSDR 15 (Reg. No. 5146696), TSDR 16 (Reg. No. 5311332), TSDR 17 (Reg. No. 2152739) and TSDR 23 (Reg. No. 5120764). Serial No. 87782192 - 8 - 1626, 1629 (Fed. Cir. 2009) (“an applicant’s reliance on Section 2(f) during prosecution presumes that the mark is descriptive”); In re Hikari Sales USA, Inc., 2019 USPQ2d 111514 (TTAB 2019); cf. Alcatraz Media, Inc. v. Chesapeake Marine Tours, Inc., 107 USPQ2d 1750, 1753 (TTAB 2013) (registration of respondent’s involved registration under Section 2(f) constitutes a concession that its mark is not inherently distinctive). In addition, the evidence supports a finding that the proposed mark is merely descriptive, and Applicant does not dispute this finding but even states, as noted above, that “Applicant’s Mark is appropriately classified as a descriptive term.” 18 TTABVUE 8. Thus, to be registrable on the Principal Register, IT’S EASY must have acquired distinctiveness for the recited services. Applicant bears the burden of proving that IT’S EASY has acquired distinctiveness. In re La. Fish Fry Prods., Ltd., 797 F.3d 1332, 1335, 116 USPQ2d 1262, 1264 (Fed. Cir. 2015) (citing In re Steelbuilding.com, 415 F.3d 1293, 1297, 75 USPQ2d 1420, 1422 (Fed. Cir. 2005)). “To show that a mark has acquired distinctiveness, an applicant must demonstrate that the relevant public understands the primary significance of the mark as identifying the source of a … service rather than the … service itself.” Steelbuilding.com, 75 USPQ2d at 1422. An applicant’s evidentiary burden of showing acquired distinctiveness increases with the level of descriptiveness of the mark sought to be registered; a more descriptive term requires more evidence. In re Nat’l Ass’n of Veterinary Technicians in Am., 2019 USPQ2d 269108 (TTAB 2019) (citing Royal Crown Co. v. Coca-Cola Co., 892 F.3d 1358, 1365, 127 USPQ2d 1041, 1045 (Fed. Cir. 2018) (citing Serial No. 87782192 - 9 - Steelbuilding.com, 75 USPQ2d at 1424)). In other words, “the greater the degree of descriptiveness the term has, the heavier the burden to prove it has attained secondary meaning.” In re Bongrain Int’l (Am.) Corp., 894 F.2d 1316, 13 USPQ2d 1727 (Fed. Cir. 1990) (quoting Yamaha Int’l Corp. v. Hoshino Gakki Co. Ltd., 840 F.2d 1572, 6 USPQ2d 1001, 1008 (Fed. Cir. 1988)). Applicant and the Examining Attorney are at odds regarding the mark’s degree of descriptiveness and the concomitant level of proof required to show acquired distinctiveness. Applicant contends that its mark is merely descriptive, not highly descriptive: “Applicant is not disputing that Applicant ’s Mark is descriptive; it is merely stating that on the spectrum going from generic to descriptive to highly suggestive, Applicant’s Mark is much closer to the highly suggestive side and thus should not be treated as a highly descriptive mark bordering on generic.” 34 TTABVUE 7. The Examining Attorney argues that the phrase IT’S EASY “is not just descriptive but highly descriptive of a feature or characteristic of Applicant ’s services.” Examining Attorney’s Brief, 36 TTABVUE 9. A. Degree of Descriptiveness Based on the entirety of the record, we find that the phrase “IT’S EASY” is not just descriptive but highly descriptive as a laudatory term that clearly informs the relevant public that Applicant touts its services as being without difficulty or effort. It is well established that laudatory terms, those that attribute quality or excellence to goods or services, generally are deemed to be merely descriptive under Trademark Act Section 2(e)(1). See, e.g., In re Nett Designs Inc., 236 F.3d 1339, 57 USPQ2d 1564, 1566 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (THE ULTIMATE BIKE RACK is “a laudatory descriptive Serial No. 87782192 - 10 - phrase that touts the superiority of Nett Designs’ bike racks”); In re The Place Inc., 76 USPQ2d 1467, 1468 (TTAB 2005) (THE GREATEST BAR found merely descriptive as a laudatory term for bar and restaurant services). B. Acquired Distinctiveness To establish that a term has acquired distinctiveness, “an applicant must show that in the minds of the public, the primary significance of a product feature or term is to identify the source of the product rather than the product itself.” See In re La. Fish Fry Prods., Ltd., 797 F.3d 1332 , 116 USPQ2d 1262, 1265 (Fed. Cir. 2015) (quoting Coach Servs., Inc. v. Triumph Learning LLC, 668 F.3d 1356 , 101 USPQ2d 1713, 1729 (Fed. Cir. 2012)). Depending on the nature of the mark and the facts in the record, an applicant may meet this burden by offering three basic types of evidence: 1. A claim of ownership of one or more active prior registrations on the Principal Register of the same mark for goods or services that are sufficiently similar to those identified in the pending application. Trademark Rule 2.41(a)(1) , 37 C.F.R. § 2.41(a)(1). 2. A verified statement that the mark has become distinctive of the applicant’s goods or services by reason of the applicant’s substantially exclusive and continuous use of the mark in commerce for five years before the date on which the claim of distinctiveness is made. Trademark Rule 2.41(a)(2) , 37 C.F.R. § 2.41(a)(2). 3. Other appropriate evidence of acquired distinctiveness. Trademark Rule 2.41(a)(3) , 27 C.F.R. § 2.41(a)(3). An applicant may submit one or any combination of these types of evidence. In any given case, the examining attorney may determine that a claim of ownership of a prior registration(s), or a claim of five years’ substantially exclusive Serial No. 87782192 - 11 - and continuous use in commerce, is insufficient to establish a prima facie case of acquired distinctiveness, in which case, “other appropriate evidence” of acquired distinctiveness shall be considered. “Other appropriate evidence” includes “direct and/or circumstantial evidence.’” Kohler Co. v. Honda Giken Kogyo K.K., 125 USPQ2d 1468, 1506 (TTAB 2017) (quoting Stuart Spector Designs Ltd. v. Fender Musical Instruments Corp., 94 USPQ2d 1549, 1554 (TTAB 2009)); see also Schlafly v. Saint Louis Brewery, LLC, 909 F.3d 420, 128 USPQ2d 1739, 1743 (Fed. Cir. 2018) (“The Board and courts have recognized that both direct and circumstantial evidence may show secondary meaning”) (citation omitted). “‘Direct evidence includes actual testimony, declarations or surveys of consumers as to their state of mind. Circumstantial evidence is evidence from which consumer association may be inferred, such as years of use, extensive amounts of sales and advertising, and any similar evidence showing wide exposure of the mark to consumers.’” Kohler, 125 USPQ2d at 1506 (quoting Stuart Spector Designs, 94 USPQ2d at 1554). When the evidence comprises indirect evidence such as the applicant’s length and manner of use, it is usually expected that such indirect evidence will be “supplemented by evidence of the effectiveness of such use to cause the purchasing public to identify the mark with the source of the product.” In re Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., 774 F.2d 1116, 227 USPQ 417, 422 (Fed. Cir. 1985). Cf. Converse, Inc. v. ITC, 909 F.3d 1110, 128 USPQ2d 1538, 1546 (Fed. Cir. 2018); In re Steelbuilding.com, 415 F.3d 1293, 75 USPQ2d 1420, 1424 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (“In determining whether secondary meaning has been acquired, the Board may examine Serial No. 87782192 - 12 - copying, advertising expenditures, sales success, length and exclusivity of use, unsolicited media coverage, and consumer studies (linking the name to a source).”).14 Because we have found that the term IT’S EASY is highly descriptive of Applicant’s services, “Applicant’s burden of establishing acquired distinctiveness under Section 2(f) is commensurately high.” In re Virtual Indep. Paralegals, LLC, 2019 USPQ2d 111512 at *11 (TTAB 2019); see also Steelbuilding.com, 75 USPQ2d at 1424. The key determination remains whether the purchasing public has come to identify the mark with the source of the goods or services. Our ultimate Section 2(f) analysis of acquired distinctiveness and determination in this case is based on all of the evidence considered as a whole. In support of its claim to acquired distinctiveness, Applicant relies primarily on the Declaration of David Alwadish, Applicant’s President and founder. May 22, 2019 Request for Reconsideration, TSDR 100-05. Mr. Alwadish testifies that: Applicant began using the word mark IT’S EASY in December 1985 and the design mark on November 15, 2004, in connection with “DMV Services” and “Travel Services.” DMV Services involve “arranging and facilitating the obtaining and surrendering of license plates, vehicle registrations and obtaining of birth and death certificates.” Travel Services 14 Considerations that may be assessed in determining whether a mark has acquired distinctiveness can be described by the following six factors: (1) association of the [mark] with a particular source by actual purchasers (typically measured by customer surveys); (2) length, degree, and exclusivity of use; (3) amount and manner of advertising; (4) amount of sales and number of customers; (5) intentional copying; and (6) unsolicited media coverage of the product embodying the mark. In re SnoWizard, Inc., 129 USPQ2d 1001, 1005 (TTAB 2018) (quoting Converse, Inc., 128 USPQ2d at 1546). However, the Section 2(f) considerations enunciated by the Federal Circuit in Converse do not alter our analysis in any significant way. The first of the six factors enunciated by the Court inquires into direct evidence, while the remaining factors describe typical circumstantial evidence. Serial No. 87782192 - 13 - involve “arranging and facilitating the obtaining of travel visas, passports and other travel documents for persons traveling abroad.” Since then, Applicant has processed over 2 million passport and visa applications and “a similar number” of motor vehicle registration requests. Applicant uses the mark as part of its corporate name (“It’s Easy, Inc.”), as its domain name (www.itseasy.com) and in its telephone number (1-866-ITS-EASY). Applicant’s gross revenues from Travel Services rendered under the IT’S EASY mark from 2011 through 2017 averaged over ten million ($10,000,000) dollars. During the same period, the yearly gross revenues received from DMV Services averaged over thirty-eight million ($38,000,000) dollars, and Applicant spent an average of $720,000 per year promoting its Travel Services. Applicant promotes its services online, in social media (Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), and through radio and print advertising. Applicant’s website received over 600,000 hits each year for the three years from 2015 through 2018. In 2017, the website received over 1.2 million hits. In 2016 and 2017, Applicant received the Excellence Award from the NY Times Travel Show for its Travel Services. In 2015, Applicant received the Travel Weekly Magellan Award and in 2010, the NBTA Award, each time for its Travel Services. Applicant has received unsolicited media coverage. In 2017, Applicant’s “IT’S EASY app” was featured in the magazine Travel & Leisure. In 2016, the app was featured online by the NY Times and Oyster’s websites.15 15 Applicant’s submission with its October 29, 2020 Response to Office Action of pages from its and five of its alleged principal competitor’s Facebook and Instagram websites cannot be used to prove the ranking of these companies by number of followers because they were not authenticated by witness testimony. While Internet materials are admissible in ex parte proceedings to demonstrate how a term is used and the likely impression it may make upon viewers, such materials are not admissible for the truth of the matters asserted therein, i.e., how many “followers” there are for each website. See In re I-Coat Co., LLC, 126 USPQ2d Serial No. 87782192 - 14 - Considering all of the Section 2(f) evidence as a whole, we find that Applicant has failed to meet its burden of establishing that the proposed mark has acquired distinctiveness as a source identifier for Applicant ’s services. Applicant has not presented any direct evidence of acquired distinctiveness such as a consumer survey or customer declarations,16 nor is there evidence of any intentional copying. Applicant’s prior registrations are now cancelled. Applicant’s circumstantial evidence of length, degree, and exclusivity of use; amount and manner of advertising; amount of sales and number of customers; and unsolicited media coverage of the services embodying the term IT’S EASY is insufficient to show that relevant consumers recognize IT’S EASY as a service mark. The fact that Applicant “has used its mark for a long time does not necessarily establish that the mark has acquired distinctiveness.” In re Tires, Tires, Tires Inc., 94 USPQ2d 1153, 1158 (TTAB 2009) (20+ years of use insufficient); see Flowers Inds. Inc., v. Interstate Brands Corp., 5 1730, 1735 (TTAB 2018) (accepting internet printouts only for what they show “on their face”); see also In re Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 129 USPQ2d 1148, 1156 (TTAB 2019) (information from the Internet, websites and blog posts is admissible “as evidence of information available to the consuming public and of the way in which a term is being used or would be understood by the relevant public”); In re Mr. Recipe, LLC, 118 USPQ2d 1084, 1087 n.4 (TTAB 2016) (stories are probative of the perceptions of the authors and of the content that may have been received by the readers); TRADEMARK TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD MANUAL OF PROCEDURE (TBMP) § 1208.03 (2020) (“Because website contents and search engine results are accessible by the consuming public . . ., they constitute evidence of potential public exposure. . . . although their probative value will vary depending on the facts of the particular case.”). Here, the evidence of record shows only that the consuming public has been exposed to various websites that display a numerical figure representing the number of alleged followers of each site, but the evidence does not prove the accuracy of the number of followers ascribed to each site. 16 The public postings on Applicant’s social media accounts, and comments from visitors to Applicant’s website, are not the same as verified declarations and thus, contrary to Applicant’s assertion, are not considered direct evidence of acquired distinctiveness. Serial No. 87782192 - 15 - USPQ2d 1580, 1588-89 (TTAB 1987) (51 years of use insufficient); Ayoub, Inc. v. ACS Ayoub Carpet Serv., 118 USPQ2d 1392, 1402 (TTAB 2016) (35 years use insufficient). Applicant provides no industry context for its sales figures ($10M for Travel Services and $38M for DMV Services over a 7-year period), such as Applicant’s “relative market share, or its sales position vis-à-vis its competitors, thus diminishing the probative value of these raw numbers.” MK Diamond Prods., 2020 USPQ2d 10882 at *23 (TTAB 2020) (citing Target Brands Inc. v. Hughes, 85 USPQ2d 1676, 1681 (TTAB 2007) (holding that it is difficult “to accurately gauge the level of [sales] success . . . in the absence of additional information such as applicant’s market share or how [applicant’s] product ranks in terms of sales in the trade”)). Even assuming that Applicant’s sales activity is substantial in the industry, “[i]t is well established that compelling sales and advertising figures do not always amount to a finding of acquired distinctiveness.” Kohler, 125 USPQ2d at 1516 (quoting Stuart Spector Designs, 94 USPQ2d at 1572). Applicant’s expenditures on promotional activities appears modest, and only those directed to its Travel Services were reported. While Applicant has garnered some unsolicited media attention and accrued awards in its field, the evidence pertaining to these is minimal. Accordingly, it is of limited persuasive value. In toto, the evidence fails to meet the high standard for showing that the term IT’S EASY has become distinctive of its services and that it serves to identify these services in commerce. Given the highly descriptive nature of the designation, we would need substantially more evidence (especially in the form of Serial No. 87782192 - 16 - direct evidence from customers) than what Applicant has submitted in order to find that the designation has become distinctive of Applicant’s services. We realize that Applicant will find itself having owned a registration for its proposed mark for nearly 15 years, and now its application for the same proposed mark, for virtually the same services, is being refused registration. It is unfortunate that Applicant’s prior registration was not maintained, and that in the period since March 3, 2017 when the registration was cancelled, circumstances have changed. However, such developments do not justify the registration of an unregistrable mark. As the Federal Circuit has taught, each case must be decided on its own record and prior decisions are not binding on the Board. In re Cordua Rests. LP, 110 USPQ2d 1227, 1233 (TTAB 2014), aff’d 823 F.3d 594, 118 USPQ2d 1632, 1635 (Fed. Cir. 2016) (“The PTO is required to examine all trademark applications for compliance with each and every eligibility requirement, including non- genericness, even if the PTO earlier mistakenly registered a similar or identical mark suffering the same defect.”); see also In re Thunderbird Prods. Corp., 406 F.2d 1389, 160 USPQ 730, 732 (CCPA 1969) (“Trademark rights are not static. A word or group of words not descriptive today may, through usage, be descriptive tomorrow.”). In this case, the record presented to us fails to persuade us that Applicant’s proposed mark has acquired distinctiveness. Considering the record in its entirety, we find that Applicant has not met its burden to establish acquired distinctiveness under Section 2(f) of the Trademark Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1052(f), as to the highly descriptive wording IT’S EASY. Serial No. 87782192 - 17 - Decision: The refusal to register Applicant’s mark based on mere descriptiveness under Section 2(e)(1) and lack of acquired distinctiveness under Section 2(f) is affirmed. In view of this decision, we need not reach the refusal on the ground that IT’S EASY fails to function as a mark under Trademark Act Sections 1, 2, 3 and 45. See In re Guaranteed Rate, Inc., 2020 USPQ2d 10869 at *10 (TTAB 2020) (“In view of our affirmance of the refusals to register under Trademark Act Section 2(e)(1), 15 U.S.C. § 1052(e)(1), and lack of acquired distinctiveness, we do not reach the Examining Attorney’s alternative grounds for refusing to register Applicant ’s marks as failing to function as marks (because they are merely informational) under Trademark Act Sections 1, 2, 3, and 45, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1051-1053, 1127.”). Copy with citationCopy as parenthetical citation