By STEVE SZKOTAK Associated Press Writer February 27, 2009 RICHMOND, Va. - The oval bumper sticker with the letters OBX has become as synonymous with North Carolina 's Outer Banks . The abbreviation also created a successful business for James Douglas , but its proliferation has made it a tough trademark to defend. On Friday, a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Bicast Inc. didn't infringe on a trademark when it began selling bumping stickers with the text "OB Xtreme." Douglas came up with the OBX abbreviation in 1994, borrowing the idea from similar shorthands used in Europe. He initially gave the stickers away, but later formed OBX-Stock and affixed the letters to bumper stickers that celebrate the fishing and vacation destination. OBX-Stock had annual revenue in 2004 topping $1 million. The U.S. District Court in Raleigh , N.C., found in June 2006 that OBX was either generic or a descriptive for North Carolina's 200 miles of ...