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
Thank you for reading the February 2024 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the advertising rights of luxury resellers and important updates to the Warner Chappell Music v. Nealy...more
3/1/2024
/ Brand ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Ownership ,
Counterfeiting ,
Damages ,
Discovery ,
False Advertising ,
First Sale Doctrine ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Music ,
Music Industry ,
Petrella v. MGM ,
SCOTUS ,
Sound Recording Copyrights ,
Statute of Limitations ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
Unfair Competition
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
The Bad Spaniels and MetaBirkin cases clarify that artistic expression is no foolproof defense to trademark infringement.
Brand owners welcomed the decision the US Supreme Court rendered in Jack Daniel's Properties Inc....more
7/3/2023
/ Dilution ,
Fair Use ,
First Amendment ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jack Daniels Properties Inc v VIP Products LLC ,
Lanham Act ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Parody ,
Rogers Test ,
SCOTUS ,
Spoofing ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks
Thank you for reading the June 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we begin a three-part series that closely examines ways to lose trademark rights; share an article that examines the...more
6/30/2023
/ Abandonment ,
Abitron Austria GmbH v Hetronic International Inc ,
Advertising ,
Dilution ,
First Amendment ,
Foreign Corporations ,
Foreign Jurisdictions ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jack Daniels Properties Inc v VIP Products LLC ,
Lanham Act ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Marketing ,
Parody ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Vacated
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
6/30/2023
/ Abitron Austria GmbH v Hetronic International Inc ,
Bad Actors ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Foreign Jurisdictions ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
International Trademark Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademarks ,
Vacated
Brand owners are hailing as a win the US Supreme Court’s decision rendered on June 8, 2023, in the closely watched Jack Daniel's Properties Inc. v. VIP Products LLC case. The dispute involved a dog toy made to mimic the Jack...more
6/12/2023
/ First Amendment ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jack Daniels Properties Inc v VIP Products LLC ,
Lanham Act ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Parody ,
Rogers Test ,
SCOTUS ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks
As 2023 gets underway, we would like to remind our readers to remain vigilant for trademark scams, which target both new application filers and established brands, and have been known to arrive via email, mail, fax, and even...more
Thank you for reading the January 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss an ongoing trademark dispute between the band OK Go and cereal company Post, how to stay vigilant about...more
1/31/2023
/ Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Declaratory Judgments ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
False Association ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hatch-Waxman ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Orange Book ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Scams ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
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 December 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses new enforcement tools courtesy of the Trademark Modernization Act; Pfizer's acquisition of Arena Pharmaceuticals; the latest developments in...more
12/23/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Brand ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Ex Partes Reexamination ,
Expungement ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Pfizer ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Websites
The August 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses Monster Energy's history of trademark disputes in the context of enhancing brand strength, tips for shortening the pendency of trademark filings...more
8/30/2021
/ Brand ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent-to-Use ,
Monster Energy Drinks ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Cancellation ,
Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Opposition Proceedings ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Revenge for Infringing Candy Trademarks? So Sweet.
Two recent court decisions highlight that there may still be a bit of a disconnect when it comes to branding cannabis products. In other words, even if your product is...more
6/2/2021
/ Brand ,
Business & Professions Code ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Disgorgement ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks
[co-author: Sahar A. Ahmed, Law Clerk]
The May 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses the USPTO's new Native American Tribal Insignia Database and two recent trademark litigation cases...more
5/28/2021
/ Brand ,
Business & Professions Code ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Confusingly Similar ,
Databases ,
Disgorgement ,
Heritage & Culture ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
Native American Issues ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Searches ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
It was hard to escape news last month of the “Satan Shoes” collaboration between Lil Nas X and Brooklyn art collective MSCHF Product Studio (“MSCHF”). The limited (666 pairs) release of custom red and black Nike Air Max...more
5/3/2021
/ Consumer Confusion ,
Damages ,
Declaratory Relief ,
Dilution ,
False Designation of Origin ,
First Amendment ,
First Sale Doctrine ,
Freedom of Expression ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Nike ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks ,
TRO ,
Unfair Competition
[co-author: Joseph Diorio, Law Clerk]
The April 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses the suit filed by Nike over MSCHF's "Satan Shoes"; the latest PTAB decision in the ongoing battle...more
4/30/2021
/ Consumer Confusion ,
Damages ,
Declaratory Relief ,
Dilution ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
False Designation of Origin ,
First Amendment ,
First Sale Doctrine ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Lanham Act ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Nike ,
Parallel Proceedings ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Philip Morris ,
Restraining Orders ,
RJ Reynolds ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks ,
Unfair Competition ,
Vaping
Why do most consumers prefer to purchase expensive goods in person? Do they value the trust factor of seeing and knowing what they are buying? Do they need to feel confident that the item is worth the price? As the pandemic...more
[co-author: Joseph Diorio, Law Clerk]
The November 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a rare failure-to-function refusal reversal at the TTAB, Google's efforts to combat counterfeit goods,...more
12/2/2020
/ Counterfeiting ,
Domain Names ,
Filing Fees ,
Google ,
gTLD ,
Online Marketplace ,
Reversal ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
In a complaint filed late last month in the Northern District of Illinois, Edible Arrangements, purveyors of fancy fruit bouquets, initiated a trademark infringement suit against cannabis company Green Thumb Industries Inc.,...more
The October 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a trademark litigation case in the cannabis consumer goods space and the open gTLD sunrise periods.
In this issue:
- Get in the Weeds:...more
On April 23, 2020, Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered a unanimous opinion in Romag Fasteners, Inc. v. Fossil, Inc., clarifying that a Lanham Act provision does not require a plaintiff to prove that acts of infringement are...more
5/10/2020
/ § 1125(a) ,
§ 1125(c) ,
Appeals ,
Burden of Proof ,
Charge-Filing Preconditions ,
Compensatory Awards ,
Dilution ,
Disgorgement ,
Lanham Act ,
Lost Profits ,
Mens Rea ,
Remand ,
Remedies ,
Romag Fasteners v Fossil ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks ,
Vacated ,
Willful Infringement
The April 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a precedential Federal Circuit ruling about color marks for product packaging, takeaways from a recent Supreme Court decision regarding when an...more
5/5/2020
/ Burden of Proof ,
Color Marks ,
Damages ,
Dilution ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
Lanham Act ,
Lost Profits ,
Romag Fasteners v Fossil ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Willful Infringement
The “soft” IP world is looking forward to rulings in six trademark and copyright cases this term, far more than in recent years, and all of which address points of uncertainty that will impact trademark and copyright...more
2/10/2020
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Allen v Cooper ,
Annotated Case Law ,
Claim Preclusion ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Remedy Clarification Act ,
Copyrightable Subject Matter ,
Fair Use ,
Generic Marks ,
Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org Inc ,
gTLD ,
Lanham Act ,
Lucky Brand Dungarees v Marcel Fashion Group ,
Oracle v Google ,
Profits ,
Remedies ,
Romag Fasteners v Fossil ,
SCOTUS ,
Software ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Split of Authority ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademarks ,
United States Patent and Trademark Office v Booking.com BV ,
Willful Infringement
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
U.S. trademark attorneys received a New Year’s surprise last month when the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear Iancu v. Brunetti, the case that should determine the availability of federal trademark...more
3/5/2019
/ Burden of Proof ,
Certiorari ,
Compelling Governmental Interest ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Disparagement ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Iancu v. Brunetti ,
Lanham Act ,
Lee v Tam ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Scandalous/Immoral Marks ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Invalidity ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO