Although Coca-Cola was granted its requested relief in May of 2016 by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, winning the right to trademark the term "zero" for its beverage products, other soft drink companies, including Dr Pepper Snapple Group, were allowed by the panel to trademark the term "zero" as well. Because the Coca-Cola "zero" brands had "acquired distinctiveness" and fit as "substantially exclusive," the trademark was allowed. According to the panel, Dr Pepper, who challenged the trademark almost ten years ago, wasn't able to prove that "zero" is a generic term that could not be legally trademarked. The panel... READ MORE