Would the Doctrine of Equivalents Affect the Strength in the U.S.? Reuters reports in "Court: 'Oscar' may be generic term in Italian." From the article: "In denying AMPAS' motion for summary judgment, U.S. District Court Judge Audrey Collins wrote that there is no question that the Oscar mark is strong in the English language and, 'The use of 'Oscar' to describe an award or awards program is arbitrary or fanciful and deserves maximum protection. However, EchoStar has presented evidence showing that the word 'Oscar' could be considered generic in Italy and in the Italian language.'"