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Message: <blockquote data-quote="S'mon" data-source="post: 5078580" data-attributes="member: 463">A mark can be descriptive and still valid, even in the UK (though apparently not EU-wide, going by the ECJ finding in Doublemint), as long as the public has come to associate the descriptive phrase with a particular product.  The example we use for our students is Sweet'n'Low for artificial sweetener.  The mark still has to be capable of distinguishing one company's product from another company's, or else it's generic and not protectable.  Note that a publicity campaign to raise awareness can increase distinctiveness, and that is exactly what this thread is!  I and lots of people who would previously have thought of 'army builder' as a generic term, now associate it with this product.  Even bad publicity can be beneficial, for TM distinctiveness.</blockquote>