Substantive Reasons for Refusal

There are several substantive reasons for refusing registration of a mark. These include: likelihood of confusion; primarily merely descriptive or deceptively misdescriptive of the goods/services; primarily geographically descriptive or primarily geographically deceptively; misdescriptive of the goods/services; primarily merely a surname; or mere ornamentation. This is not a complete list of all possible grounds of refusal.

Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Last reviewed October 2023