USPTO Denies Trademark for Spanx Founder’s Footwear Brand 'Sneex', Citing Similarity Concerns
Apr/01/2025
USPTO has refused Spanx founder Sara Blakely's trademark request for her new footwear brand, 'Sneex', due to its close resemblance to an existing mark, 'Sneak', owned by Sneak Energy Limited. The rejection was based on the USPTO's assessment that 'Sneex', stylized for apparel and footwear sales, retail services, and fashion consultancy, is phonetically and visually too similar, potentially causing consumer confusion. The USPTO additionally categorized 'Sneex' as 'merely descriptive', reasoning the term clearly references sneakers, directly informing consumers about the product type. Trademark expert Josh Gerben suggests avenues exist for Sneex to overturn this ruling, including negotiating consent with Sneak or proving 'Sneex' has a suggestive rather than descriptive meaning, as the actual products—heels styled as sneakers—require consumers to mentally connect the name to the hybrid footwear.
