Germany’s national men’s soccer team has tasted the thrill of victory at the FIFA World Cup four times, most recently in 2014. But the governing body of the current world champions experienced defeat in attempting to register its mark at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
In a nonprecedential decision in In re Deutscher Fussball-Bund (DFB) e.V., Serial No. 79144840, the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) refused to register the mark Deutscher Fussball-Bund (translated as German Soccer Federation) and design for various clothing items and for soccer gear because the applicant, the German Soccer Federation, refused to disclaim Deutscher Fussball-Bund for clothing.
