Coffeehouse and doughnut chain Dunkin' Donuts’ efforts to trademark the phrase ‘Best Coffee in America’ have been tentatively rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
In its ruling the USPTO said that the applied-for mark is merely laudatory and descriptive.
The agency said: "It is well established that a mark that consists of the generic name of a food that is the specialty of the house or a principal attraction of the restaurant has been held merely descriptive of restaurant services."
The USPTO added that there is a precedent for the ruling, wherein Sam Adams beer maker The Boston Beer Company's application to trademark a similar slogan 'The Best Beer in America' was turned down.
The company's spokeswoman Jessica Gioglio said that the company is reviewing the filing.
Dunkin' Donuts has more than 10,000 restaurants in 32 countries worldwide. For the full-year 2011, Dunkin' Donuts' restaurants had global franchisee-reported sales of around $6.4bn.
