What is the Intellectual Property status of US Zip Codes?

Answer 1

According to the US Patent Office, the Trade Mark on the words "zip

code" have expired. See:

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=73001312

So it would seem that use of the words "zip code" are no longer

protected by trademark, and have fallen into the public domain. However, the post office requires that companies that resell zip code data protect the trademark on "ZIP Code". Kind of confusing.

=====================================

The Threshold of Originality

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threshold_of_originality

particularly with respect to "United States Supreme Court in Feist

Publications v. Rural Telephone Service" is a well known legal precedent.

I wonder how this ruling might apply to zip codes?