5 Key Takeaways | Recent Developments in United States Trademark and Unfair Competition Law
5 Key Takeaways | Why Trademark Policy Matters to Brand Owners Large and Small
Protecting Your Brand in China
The United States is a party to the Madrid Protocol, an international treaty simplifying and centralizing the process for registering trademarks on an international basis. This treaty allows owners of U.S. trademark...more
On December 5, 2023, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued a precedent-setting decision in favor of the prominent skateboarding footwear and apparel brand, Vans. The decision centered on the satirical art collective...more
Does federal trademark law reach conduct outside of the United States? The Supreme Court addressed this question recently in Abitron Austria v. Hetronic International, Inc., which prompted us to revisit a related issue we...more
There once was a company named Zotz, Which created toys for tots, It set up abroad, of course! But filing first is KnockOffSource, Can Zotz manufacture? Methink “notz!” First published in Inside magazine, NYSBA, Fall...more
Thank you for reading the August 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we conclude our series that explores ways to lose trademark rights with an examination of naked licensing, discuss a...more
In the United States, trademarks are governed on the federal level by the Lanham Act (also known as the Trademark Act of 1946), which was enacted on July 5, 1946, and is codified at 15 U.S.C. § 1051 et seq. The Lanham Act...more
The Supreme Court’s June 29, 2023, decision in Abitron Austria GMBH v. Hetronic Int’l, Inc., No. 21-1043, ended decades of circuit splits on the standard for determining the extraterritorial reach of the Lanham Act (see our...more
On June 29, 2023, in Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Lanham Act does not have an extraterritorial scope and applies only in cases where the alleged infringing “use...more
In a decision that may make it more difficult for brand owners to enforce their marks against infringers located outside of the United States, the Supreme Court of the United States vacated the judgment of the US Court of...more
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on June 29, 2023, addressing the scope of federal trademark law on conduct occurring outside of the United States. The case, Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International, Inc.,...more
There have been many newsworthy rulings coming out of the Supreme Court in the last two weeks, so it is understandable if you missed this one. On Thursday, June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Tenth Circuit wrongly...more
On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the geographic limits for U.S. trademark enforcement. Just as with enforcement of registered copyrights and issued patents, the Supreme Court ruled that a trademark owner may...more
On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the petitioner in Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International Inc. However, the justices were divided 5-4 as to the precise reasoning and what facts...more
The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Lanham Act infringement and unfair competition provisions "are not extraterritorial and that they extend only to claims where the claimed infringing use in commerce is domestic." In...more
The US Supreme Court ruled today in the closely watched Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International, Inc. case, which considered whether a party could recover in US courts for trademark infringement that occurred outside...more
The line between free speech and brand protection remains blurry after a February jury verdict in the NFT case of Hermès Int’l. v. Rothschild and the recent Supreme Court oral arguments in Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. v....more
The United States Supreme Court has a new opportunity to look at whether a U.S. trademark owner can recover damages for infringing uses of the owner’s mark occurring outside the United States....more
The general rule under U.S. trademark law is that the first to use a trademark in U.S. commerce has priority in the mark over other "would-be" users of the same, or confusingly similar, mark. This applies in both common law...more
Western companies with trademark rights in Russia are feeling the ripple effects of the Ukrainian conflict. In response to the economic sanctions and boycotts imposed by the U.S. and other Western countries, Russia has...more
With the increasing protection of IP rights on e-commerce platforms, trademark registrants’ rights are respected and protected. It is difficult to sell counterfeit products on e-commerce platforms. For example, according to...more
A trademark’s value can be lost or weakened or a trademark owner fails to protect or police rights in the marketplace. Even improper and/or inconsistent use of a mark can hamper a trademark owner’s ability to enforce...more
The American Bar Association (“ABA”) filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of the petitioner in Romag Fasteners, Inc. v. Fossil, Inc., No. 18-1233....more
The Shanghai Pudong District Court has recently handed down a remarkable judgment, awarding punitive damages equal to 3 times the proven damages to a foreign sportswear company, and fully upheld the company's claim for RMB 3...more
July 27, 2019 marked the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Madrid Protocol – the centralized system for registering and managing trademarks worldwide. The Madrid system is administered by the International Bureau of the...more
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) announced amendments to the Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China (PRC Trademark Law) on April 23, 2019. The amendments apply to six articles of the PRC...more