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 is a question of law which we review de novo. Id. at 855 n. 15, 102 S.Ct. at 2189 m. 15. The burden of proving nonfunctionality is on Sega. See Rachel v. Banana Republic, Inc., 831 F.2d 1503, 1506 (9th Cir.1987). In the case before us, we conclude that the district court’s finding of nonfunctionality was based on its use of an incorrect legal standard. Viewed in the correct light, the record before us supports only one conclusion: The TMSSS initialization code is a functional feature of a Genesis-compatible game and Accolade may not be barred from using it.

“Functional features of a product are features ‘which constitute the actual benefit that the consumer wishes to purchase, as distinguished from an assurance that a particular entity made, sponsored, or endorsed a product.’ ” Vuitton et Fils S.A. v. J. Young Enterprises, Inc., 644 F.2d 769, 774 (9th Cir.1981) (quoting International Order of Job’s Daughters v. Lindeburg & Co., 633 F.2d 912, 917 (9th Cir.1980), cert. denied, 452 U.S. 941, 101 S.Ct. 3086, 69 L.Ed.2d 956 (1981)). A product feature thus is functional “if it is essential to the use or purpose of the article or if it affects the cost or quality of the article.” Inwood Laboratories, 456 U.S. at 850 n. 10, 102 S.Ct. at 2187 n. 10. The Lanham Act does not protect essentially functional or utilitarian product features because such protection would constitute a grant of a perpetual monopoly over features that could not be patented. Keene Corp. v. Paraflex Industries, Inc., 653 F.2d 822, 824 (3d Cir.1981). Even when the allegedly functional product feature is a trademark, the trademark owner may not enjoy a monopoly over the functional use of the mark. Job’s Daughters, 633 F.2d at 918–19.

In determining whether a product feature is functional, a court may consider a number of factors, including—but not limited to—“the availability of alternative designs; and whether a particular design results from a comparatively simple or cheap method of manufacture.” ''Clamp Mfg. Co. v. Enco Mfg. Co., Inc., 870 F.2d 512, 516 (9th Cir.), cert. denied'', 493 U.S. 872, 110 S.Ct. 202, 107 L.Ed.2d 155 (1989). The availability of alternative methods of manufacture must be more than merely theoretical or speculative, however. The court must find “that commercially feasible alternative configurations exist.” Id. (emphasis added). Moreover, some cases have even suggested that in order to establish nonfunctionality the party with the burden must demonstrate that the product feature “ ‘serves no purpose other than identification.’ ” Keene Corp., 653 F.2d at 826 (quoting SK & F Co. v. Premo Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Inc., 625 F.2d 1055, 1063 (3d Cir.1980)). With these principles in mind, we turn to the question whether the TMSS initialization code is a functional feature of a Genesis-compatible game.

It is indisputable that, in the case before us, part of “the actual benefit that the consumer wishes to purchase” is compatibility with the Genesis III console. The TMSS initialization code provides that compatibility. Sega argues that the modified cartridges that were introduced in the district court establish the actual existence of technically and commercially feasibly alternative methods of gaining access to the Genesis III. The cartridges were prepared by Nagashima, an employee in Sega’s Hardware Research and Development Department who was “familiar with the TMSS system”. At most, the Nagashima affidavit establishes that an individual familiar with the operation of the TMSS can discover a way to engineer around it. It does not establish that a competitor with no knowledge of the working of the TMSS could do so. Nor is there any evidence that there was any public or industry awareness of any alternate method for gaining access to the Genesis III. Evidence that an individual, even an independent expert, produced one or more cartridges is not sufficient proof that an alternate method exists. What is needed for proof of that fact is proof of the method itself. Here, such proof is totally lacking. What is also needed is proof that knowledge of the alternate method exists or is readily available to knowledgeable persons in the industry. That proof also is totally lacking here. Accordingly, the district court erred as a matter of law in concluding that the Nagashima declaration and the modified cartridges were sufficient to establish nonfunctionality.