Last month the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ("TTAB") made headlines when it reversed a Trademark Examining Attorney’s decision refusing registration of the mark MONTUSSAN. The Examining Attorney reasoned that, because Montussan is the name of a wine-producing town near Bordeaux, the mark MONTUSSAN was "primarily geographically descriptive" under Section 2(e) of the Trademark Act. TTAB found that Montussan is “obscure,” and thus the MONTUSSAN mark was not barred from registration under Section 2(e). Now, two more trademarks that include the names of French regions are under dispute. LJC Wine Co., LLC’s LOIREGON and Southwest Winery Associates’ DOMAIN CHARLEMAGNE contain the names of designations of origin that are protected by French and European Community law. l’Institut National de L'Origine et de la Qualité ("INAO"), the French government agency responsible for establishing and policing the use of geographic indications, has opposed the registration of these marks, alleging that they are geographically misdescriptive under Section 2(a) of the Trademark Act.