Join Sterne Kessler’s Global Trademark & Brand Protection team for our mid-year review webinar, when we will take a closer look at the latest developments in trademark law. From recent court decisions to industry-trends, our...more
7/16/2024
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
False Association ,
First Amendment ,
Functionality ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Right of Publicity ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Webinars
Joining a series of precedential decisions about descriptiveness, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board recently affirmed a refusal to register Sheet Pile, LLC’s (“Applicant”) mark ZPILE on the Principal Register, on the...more
4/2/2024
/ Descriptive Trademarks ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Precedential Opinion ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Invalidity ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks
Welcome to the March 2024 issue of Sterne Kessler’s MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the IPR Center’s efforts to stop global IP theft and address counterfeiting on both home and foreign turf; a recent TTAB...more
4/1/2024
/ Brand ,
Copyright Registration ,
Corporate Branding ,
Counterfeit Goods Regulation ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Descriptive Trademarks ,
Illegal Imports ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Thank you for reading the October 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the Federal Circuit’s recent case considering the scope of the USPTO’s authority to cancel registrations...more
11/1/2023
/ Advertising ,
Brand ,
Corporate Branding ,
Declaration of Use ,
E-Signatures ,
Enforcement ,
Fraud ,
Incontestability Clauses ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Signatures ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Cancellation ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
As part of its ongoing efforts to improve and maintain the accuracy of the Trademark Register, and combat trademark scams and bot-filed trademark applications, the USPTO has revised examination procedures for reviewing...more
9/7/2023
/ Domicile ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Verification Requirements
Earlier this month, the USPTO announced that it intends to send a “Welcome Letter” to applicants or counsel of record who have filed new trademark applications. The letter, which should appear as shown here, will be sent...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
9/1/2023
/ Abandonment ,
Change of Ownership ,
China ,
CNIPA ,
Domicile ,
Foreign Trademark ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
International Trademark Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
License Agreements ,
New Guidance ,
New Rules ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Third-Party ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Examination ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Licenses ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Suspensions ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
WIPO
In a precedential decision earlier this month, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board upheld refusals to register two trademarks owned by National Concessions Group Inc. (“National”) on the ground that the goods – essential oil...more
Thank you for reading the May 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss Taco Bell's attempt to cancel two TACO TUESDAY trademark registrations, and a precedential TTAB decision...more
6/1/2023
/ Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc v Goldsmith ,
Artists ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Copyright ,
Drug Paraphernalia ,
Functionality ,
Generic Marks ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
SCOTUS ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Transformative Use ,
USPTO
Thank you for reading the February 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss Section 2(c) of the Lanham Act in relation to the Supreme Court's pending review of the TRUMP TOO SMALL...more
3/1/2023
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Donald Trump ,
Lanham Act ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Scams ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Examination Guide ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
USPTO
Join Sterne Kessler attorneys for our inaugural Trademark Year in Review webinar, where speakers will offer summaries and analysis of particularly noteworthy cases from 2022, along with updates on the latest in U.S. trademark...more
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s recently issued precedential decision dismissing an opposition alleging a likelihood of confusion between the registered mark SMOK and a pending application for the mark SMOKES and...more
Thank you for reading the November 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we address a precedential TTAB decision that presents interesting priority issues relating in particular to the...more
12/1/2022
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Websites
When Fame is the Name of the Game -
As of the third quarter of 2021, Swedish music streaming company SPOTIFY boasted 381 million monthly active users worldwide – significantly more than the population of the entire United...more
2/1/2022
/ Brand ,
Dilution ,
Dispensaries ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Spotify ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks
Happy New Year! We’re excited to share the January 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter in a newly updated format. This month’s articles discuss the Pantone Color Institute's 2022 Color of the Year –...more
1/28/2022
/ Brand ,
Color Marks ,
Dilution ,
Dispensaries ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Spotify ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks
Future Intentions Not Enough to Pave the Road to Registration -
“Reduces pain,” “alleviates anxiety,” “improves sleep” – these are just some of the claims of the miraculous CBD. The surfeit of new CBD brands and products...more
10/4/2021
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent-to-Use ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
The September 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a recent non-precedential Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision regarding intent-to-use applications covering CBD products currently...more
10/1/2021
/ Banking Reform ,
Banking Sector ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Criminal Penalties ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Drug Possession ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent-to-Use ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
The September 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses the state of the CBD industry, including a recent non-precedential TTAB decision regarding CBD-infused supplements, as well as the open gTLD...more
A June 16, 2020 precedential decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board held that Federal trademark registration is not available for food, beverages, or nutritional/dietary supplements to which hemp-derived cannibidiol...more
7/17/2020
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Corporate Branding ,
Dietary Supplements ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Federal Trademark Register ,
Hemp ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
Rebranding ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks
In a non-precedential opinion issued this month, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board affirmed the refusal to register Jos. A. Magnus & Co., LLC’s mark MAGNUS for “whiskey, gin, and...more
2/10/2020
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Lanham Act ,
Prosecution History Estoppel ,
Surnames ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Searches ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
The January 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses the following topics:
- The TTAB's affirmation to refuse a mark to distillery Jos. A. Magnus & Co.;
- Six trademark and copyright cases...more
On April 10, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit redesignated as precedential its January 14, 2019 decision upholding the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB) decision affirming refusal of...more
5/9/2019
/ Administrative Appeals ,
Displays ,
Point of Sale Terminals ,
Precedential Opinion ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Use in Commerce ,
Websites
The holiday season in the United States starts around Halloween and extends for a two-month period until the beginning of January. The holiday marathon sparks a flurry of purchasing events – such as booking airline tickets,...more
When seeking particular services, consumers are often drawn into a business based on branding and advertising found near the location – whether by signage on or around the establishment, or by glimpses of the services being...more
The November 2016 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® includes practical tips for registering certification marks, a look at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board's latest revisions to the Rules of Practice-its most...more