On Monday, May 4, 2020, Williams & Connolly partner Lisa Blatt presented oral argument to the Supreme Court in the first case in the Court’s history to be argued remotely, and the first case where live audio was available to the public. In United States Patent & Trademark Office v. Booking.com, the issue presented was whether the addition by an online business of a generic top-level domain (".com") to an otherwise generic term can create a protectable trademark.
The case marked Lisa’s 40th argument before the Supreme Court and third this term. Partner Sarah Harris was lead brief-writer and second-chaired this case; other members of the team included Eden Schiffmann, Thomas Chapman, and John Swanson.
Click here to listen to audio of United States Patent & Trademark Office v. Booking.com.
This historic moment was covered by The National Law Journal, PBS NewsHour, and Law360. The Washington Post featured Lisa's preparation to argue the case via teleconference.