The June 13, 2024, U.S. Supreme Court decision in Vidal v. Elster made waves in the trademark community. All of the Court’s decisions are significant, and this matter was of particular interest because the decision marked the...more
6/18/2024
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Donald Trump ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Lanham Act ,
Political Affiliation ,
Public Figures ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Vidal v Elster
At last week’s INTA Annual Meeting, Sterne Kessler Counsel Lauriel Dalier moderated a discussion with Jason Lott, Managing Attorney for Trademarks Customer Outreach at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, on...more
Welcome to the April 2024 issue of Sterne Kessler’s MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss why it’s important for businesses to think critically about who they are listing as their trademark owners, how the TTAB...more
5/1/2024
/ Abandonment ,
Goods or Services ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Parent-Child Patent Applications ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
While many brand owners are generally aware of and work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to record trademark and copyright registrations and help with seizures, fewer may understand the role of the National...more
4/1/2024
/ Brand ,
Copyright Registration ,
Corporate Branding ,
Counterfeit Goods Regulation ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Illegal Imports ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
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 December 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the USPTO's new guidance on "clothed" consent agreements, three ways to protect your identify and avoid...more
12/22/2023
/ Consent Agreements ,
Goods or Services ,
IP Assignment Agreements ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Risk Management ,
Spam ,
Spoofing ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
In what may be an unfortunate sign of the times, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has recently been dealing with increasingly abusive behavior directed toward its personnel.
In response, in October, the USPTO...more
Thank you for reading the November 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the USPTO's recently published alert reminding filers and practitioners of its Code of Conduct when...more
11/30/2023
/ Anti-Piracy ,
Appropriate Business Decorum ,
Code of Conduct ,
Counterfeiting ,
Courtesy Policy ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Legal Ethics ,
Marketing ,
NFL ,
Professional Misconduct ,
Sports ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
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
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
Thank you for reading the July 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we continue our three-part series that closely examines ways to lose trademark rights with a discussion of genericide. We...more
8/1/2023
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Advertising ,
Brand ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Corporate Branding ,
Counterfeiting ,
Data Collection ,
Disclosure ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Generic Marks ,
Genericide ,
Goods or Services ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Listing Rules ,
Marketing ,
Online Marketplace ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sellers ,
Third-Party ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
USPTO
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
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 April 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss practice tips for the two new petition processes instituted by the Trademark Modernization Act and highlight...more
4/28/2023
/ China ,
CNIPA ,
Ex Partes Reexamination ,
Expungement ,
INTA ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investigations ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
No sooner had we gone to press on our January article on the latest and greatest in trademark scams than the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a new alert raising awareness of yet another type of scam....more
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
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
U.S. brand owners were heartened to learn of the Show Cause Order issued late last week by the USPTO’s Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks, which takes aim at potentially thousands of trademark applications thought to...more
Thank you for reading the August 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss a Show Cause Order recently issued by the USPTO to combat thousands of fraudulent trademark applications. We...more
9/1/2022
/ Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Order to Show Cause ,
Rules of Practice ,
Sanctions ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Websites
In the past week, the USPTO has implemented two new policies designed to better address how applicants and law firms work in 2022.
Electronic Trademark Certificates -
First, as of May 24, 2022, the USPTO has moved to...more
Thank you for reading the May 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss Spotify's exploration into NFTs, two new USPTO policies with practical implications for trademark applicants...more
5/26/2022
/ Artists ,
Big Tech ,
Blockchain ,
Cancer ,
Cannabis Products ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Internet ,
Medical Research ,
Metaverse ,
Music Industry ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Research Funding ,
Signatures ,
Smart Contracts ,
Spotify ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Websites
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 October 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a precedential TTAB decision regarding fraud; the DEA's proposal to increase production quotas for several schedule I controlled substances,...more
10/26/2021
/ Cannabis Products ,
Clinical Trials ,
Controlled Substances ,
DEA ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
False Statements ,
Fraud ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Quotas ,
Reckless Disregard ,
Research and Development ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Cancellation ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Websites
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