NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – A federal court judge has ruled that DNA testing services provider DNA Diagnostics Center (DDC) may continue to use the word "ancestry" to describe its genetic test, as it was using the term prior to Ancestry.com's entry into the market.
The Federal District Court for the Southern District of Ohio found that the Ohio- and UK-based company had been using the name 'AncestrybyDNA' for its genetic ancestry test since 2002 and had obtained a trademark registration for it in 2008. Further, it said there was no marketplace confusion between DDC and Ancestry.com until 2012, when Ancestry.com launched its AncestryDNA testing service.
In a statement, DDC says it will continue to use its AncestrybyDNA trademark.
DDC provides DNA testing services including ancestry, veterinary, and forensic testing, as well as medical tests such as cell-line authentication.