Trademark & Design15 U.S.C. § 1052(e)(5)

Functionality Doctrine

/ˌfʌŋk.ʃəˈnæl.ə.ti ˈdɒk.trɪn/

A statutory rule barring trademark registration or trade dress protection for any product shape, color, or design feature that is essential to use or affects cost/quality.

Operational Jurisprudential Axiom:

“Trademarks identify source; they must never grant perpetual monopolies over utility.”

Canonical Precedent:

Qualitex Co. v. Jacobson Products Co., 514 U.S. 159 (1995)

Archival Notes:

Prevents trademark law from invading the exclusive domain of utility patents.