Monopoly firm loses trademark

The US Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision that invalidated the trademark of Monopoly - one of the world's most popular games. The justices let stand without comment a ruling invalidating the Monopoly trademark because the term has become a common descriptive name. Critics say the ruling endangers trademark protections for hundreds of brand-name products from dish soaps to video games.

The court also agreed to consider whether a college must comply with federal civil-rights law when its students, but not the institution itself, receive government financial assistance. The justices will hear an appeal by Grove City College, a private Pennsylvania institution, on a ruling requiring it to sign a guarantee not to discriminate on the basis of sex, even though it gets no direct federal aid.