To be eligible for trademark registration, a color must have acquired distinctiveness and must not be functional. Recently, the Federal Circuit discussed the importance that a color mark not be functional. ...more
Color trademarks have traditionally been difficult to obtain. Of the over 4 million trademark registrations, there were less than 1000 color trademarks as of 2019. To be eligible for trademark registration, a color must have...more
CeramTec v. Coorstek Bioceramics, Case No. 2023-1502 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 3, 2025) - Colors are generally permitted as source identifiers for trademarks or trade dress because they are typically perceived as an ornamental...more
Earlier this month, the Pantone Color Institute announced its Color of the Year for 2025, Pantone No. 17-1230 Mocha Mousse – a cozy, warm brown evoking the indulgent qualities of chocolate and coffee. ...more
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (Board) precedential decision to uphold a refusal to register a proposed color mark in In re Post Foods, LLC highlights the strategic and technical aspects involved in registering a...more
Every month, Erise’s trademark attorneys review the latest developments at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in the courts, and across the corporate world to bring you the stories that you should know about: Fruity...more
Earlier this month, the Pantone Color Institute announced its Color of the Year for 2023, Pantone No. 18-1750 "Viva Magenta" (think a brighter, more berry version of red velvet cake). In selecting the color representing...more
Thank you for reading the December 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss Pantone's 2023 Color of the Year and a preliminary ruling in Europe regarding an online marketplace's...more
Last month, the Pantone Color Institute extended its influence on consumer tastes and designs by naming “Very Peri” as its Color of the Year for 2022. Rather than selecting a color from its existing and extensive palette, the...more
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
A small hop for chocolate bunnies, a big step for Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli: The German Federal Court of Justice held that the particular shade of golden color is protected for Lindt & Sprüngli as a color...more
Some foreign brand owners may be surprised to learn that in Canada, when seeking to protect design (or figurative) marks, it is sometimes better to register marks in black and white in cases where the marks would normally be...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently ruled that color marks can be inherently distinctive when applied to product packaging trade dress. The CAFC upends a long-held understanding that color marks can never...more
On June 17, 2019, Canada’s Trademarks Act changed, resulting in its modernization. Canada has now joined five international intellectual property treaties, including the Madrid Protocol, Singapore Treaty and Nice Agreement,...more
During the ECTA annual conference in Edinburgh last week, Andreas Renck spoke about the ongoing battle in registering and defending colour per se marks, in particular the question of how to correctly represent the marks on...more
Judgment of 6 June 2019 in Case C-223/18 P Deichmann v EUIPO – Munich - The Court of Justice (CJEU) upholds the General Court (GC) finding that for a figurative mark featuring elements represented using dotted lines (in...more
2018 was an exciting year for the trademarks profession in Canada. The long awaited changes to our Trademarks Act were announced, many of which will bring us in line this year with the rest of the world. There will also be a...more
The January 2019 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses Pantone Color Institute's 2019 color of the year, pointers on protecting logos through copyright registration, Korea's notable amendments to...more
Over the first half year, we have covered a number of high profile cases heard before the General Court (GC) and the European Court of Justice (CJEU). Here’s a quick roundup of the cases with a takeaway summary for each...more
The Situation: The Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") rendered its ruling in the Louboutin case (C-163/16) on June 12, 2018. The Result: The CJEU has confirmed that Christian Louboutin's red outer sole can be...more
Brewers can protect the uniqueness of their brands of brew and brewery names by filing for federal registration of their trademarks. Here are a few things about the process that are good to know...more
The colour of a product plays an important role in identifying its commercial origin. For this reason, seeking protection for abstract colour marks is a very valuable asset in trade. ...more
In a precedential decision on August 22 2017, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) in In re General Mills IP Holdings II, LLC (Serial 86757390) held that the applicant did not provide sufficient evidence to support the...more
Yesterday, the Canadian Industrial Design Office announced changes that significantly modernize and streamline six of its office practices, substantially benefitting applicants seeking protection for their designs in Canada....more