WASHINGTON D.C.—The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has refused Snapchat’s application for trademark protection of the term ‘spectacles.’

Snap, Inc. which recently went public, also recently moved the sales of its sunglasses, which record 10-second videos, to the Spectacles.com website, as VMail recently reported in February.

In her refusal letter, according to a note issued last Friday by The Vision Council, the PTO examiner noted that the Snapchat application “describes hardware and peripherals that are optical instruments, including lenses and a frame.” Her examiniation determined that the term “spectacles” is used to describe many other optical products, including an existing device advertised as a “spectacle with a camera.” Thus, the applied-for mark was determined to be merely a descriptive term and is not eligible for registration under Section 2 (e) (1) of the Trademark Act.

The Vision Council also said that Snapchat sought to prove foreign registration, but their application is currently suspended due to a failure to provide timely evidence, noting that the company may try to narrow their application for specific use, but will not be able to claim and trademark ownership for the word “spectacles.”

Also, in February, VMail reported that reading glasses firm Eyebobs had sued Snap Inc. in a trademark battle over logos.