Dunkin' Donuts Loses Trademark Bid For 'America's Best Coffee'

Who do you think has the best coffee in America? If it's Dunkin' Donuts, you may want to reassure your barista of that. 

Dunkin' Donuts' move to trademark the phrase "America's Best Coffee" was denied this week, reports the Huffington Post. The United States Patent and Trademark Organization (USPTO) ruled that the saying was too generic, and cited Boston Beer Co.'s move more than 10 years ago to trademark the phrase "The Best Beer in America," which also failed. The USPTO ruled that the phrase was simply "laudatory and descriptive" and couldn't be protected by trademark protection. One trademark attorney explained to the Boston Globe, "Anyone at all can claim that their coffee is the 'Best Coffee in America,' ... No one takes such a claim literally, and no one company can monopolize the phrase."

The Boston Globe also notes that Starbucks has long topped Dunkin' Donuts in reader surveys on Zagat — that's got to hurt. Best coffee or not, we still appreciate you, Dunkin'.