Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act states that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) may refuse registration for any trademark that “consists of or comprises immoral . . . or scandalous matter.” On June 24th, 2019, in...more
6/26/2019
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Iancu v. Brunetti ,
Lanham Act ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
Scandalous/Immoral Marks ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Viewpoint Discrimination
On Tuesday, April 24, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down two highly anticipated decisions that significantly impact inter partes review (IPR) proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). The Supreme Court's...more
4/25/2018
/ Administrative Proceedings ,
America Invents Act ,
Article III ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Oil States Energy Services v Greene's Energy Group ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Ownership ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Post-Grant Review ,
Public Rights Doctrine ,
SAS Institute Inc. v Iancu ,
SCOTUS ,
Seventh Amendment ,
USPTO
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court emphasized the importance of broad free speech protection in striking down a statute that allows the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to refuse registration of disparaging trademarks....more
6/23/2017
/ Commercial Speech ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Disparagement ,
First Amendment ,
Football ,
Free Speech ,
Government Speech Doctrine ,
Lanham Act ,
Matal v Tam ,
Music Industry ,
NFL ,
Redskins ,
SCOTUS ,
The Slants ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO