TTAB Refuses Descriptive Mark for Delivery Robots

The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has affirmed a Section 2(e)(1) refusal to register the mark FIND - FETCH - TRANSFER for self-driving robots for delivery. In a September 1, 2026 non-precedential decision in In re Drobot, Inc., Serial No. 99010898, the Board found each term describes core functions of the goods.

Examining Attorney Catherine Lee provided dictionary definitions supporting the refusal. The Board noted that the applicant's own website and arguments confirmed the terms directly convey the robots' purpose of locating, retrieving, and moving items. The decision emphasized these features are not incidental but define the goods.

The ruling aligns with established precedent that marks describing the purpose or function of goods are unregistrable without acquired distinctiveness. No evidence of secondary meaning was presented in the application.

This outcome underscores the TTAB's scrutiny of marks that immediately inform consumers about product capabilities in emerging technology sectors.