P.M. BRIEFING : ‘Murphy Bed’ Ruled a Generic Term

NEW YORK — The Murphy bed, the fold-into-the-wall sleeping convenience, today joined aspirin, cellophane and the escalator in the list of brand names that have become generic.

The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that any bed that folds into a closet can be called a Murphy bed. In doing so, the panel rejected a lower-court ruling on the issue.

However, it upheld an unfair competition ruling against Interior Sleep Systems Inc. doing business as the Murphy Bed Co. of America Inc. in Florida and Georgia. The court said Interior could not call its own wall beds “originals.” It ruled that Interior must pay Murphy Door Bed Co. of Amityville $825,000 in damages, saying use of the term “original” amounted to unfair competition.