The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a district court’s dismissal of a complaint, finding that the foreign defendant was subject to specific personal jurisdiction in the United States in light of the...more
Using Native American tribal names and symbols as part of popular consumer brands has been an endemic practice within the United States for decades. Popular brands that have appropriated tribal names include Jeep Cherokee,...more
[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
A trademark is a word, name, or symbol used to identify and distinguish a seller’s product from those of others. A trademark is part of a company’s brand. It is the embodiment of the company’s reputation. Over time, a...more
When TV format creator Mark Duffy struck upon the tongue-in-cheek name “The Pets Factor” for what was (presumably) a talent competition for domestic animals, he might well have smiled at his own ingenuity. Conversely, when...more
Everyone is familiar with Trademarks. We are literally surrounded by them. Trademarks are the words, logos, packaging and other devices that we use to differentiate goods and services from each other and are how we can...more
When examining trademark applications, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) considers whether the applied-for mark is confusingly similar to any registered or prior-filed marks by applying the following...more
The October 2018 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses how the USPTO determines similarity to prior-filed marks, the considerations of protecting a mark in a foreign language, and the new gTLD...more
Though an individual owner and operator of a formerly franchised Church's Chicken restaurant in Texas was not a signer of the franchise agreement, a district court ruled the individual was subject to the agreement's...more
Premier League Takes the Pitch in Fight against Pirated Streams - The United Kingdom's most popular soccer league is using skillful legal tackling to maintain possession of its intellectual property. The Football...more
A recent UK court held that Karen Millen, a fashion designer and co-founder of the Karen Millen brand, was prohibited from using her name, KM or K.Millen or any other confusingly similar names in connection with clothing and...more
BLACK GIRLS ROCK! and BLACK MEN ROCK Deemed Confusingly Similar - This opposition involved a straight-forward likelihood of confusion analysis. Opposer owned a registration for the mark BLACK GIRLS ROCK! for clothing and...more
Applicant’s Claim of Secondary Meaning in MINIMELTS Melts Down Before the Board - Mini Melts opposed Reckitt’s intent-to-use applications for “MINI-MELTS” and “MINIMELTS,” alleging a likelihood of confusion with its own...more
Coca-Cola has Acquired Secondary Meaning in ZERO for Colas - In an opposition proceeding before the TTAB, Royal Crown (RC) and Dr. Pepper/Seven Up sought to prevent registration of seventeen applications filed by...more
Evaporated cane juice, a term usually used to inform about sweeteners derived from the fluid extract of sugar cane, is present on the ingredient lists of many products we see on grocery store shelves. However, newly finalized...more
Last month, a U.S. district court in Oregon granted Adidas’ motion for a preliminary injunction against U.S. footwear company Sketchers USA Inc., blocking Sketchers from selling, among other sneakers, a 3-stripe sneaker...more
I AM Similar - The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) affirmed the examiner’s decision to deny three applications for “I AM” marks filed by i.am.symbolic, LLC (“Applicant”), finding that Applicant’s proposed “I AM”...more
While browsing back issues of the indispensable Allen’s Trademark Digest, the blurb for the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s decision in the appeal In re Micros Systems, Inc. caught my eye. It was a rarely-seen reversal of an...more
The TTAB Finds Confusion Between WINEBUD Wine and BUD Beer The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) found that Applicant’s mark WINEBUD for wine is confusingly similar to Anheuser-Busch’s (“AB”) BUD mark. The TTAB...more
In the latest episode of a 30-year dispute over the use of marks depicting mounted polo players, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated the district court’s order finding contempt of a 2012 injunction. U.S....more
Originally published in Utah Business. Very seldom do companies intentionally adopt trademarks that are likely to cause confusion in the marketplace or intend to profit on the goodwill of other companies. Yet, even...more
In This Issue: • JOTS for Gelatin Shots Found Confusingly Similar to TOTT’S for Sparkling Wine • Likelihood of Confusion Between DUB for Nutritional Supplements and DUB for Non- Alcoholic Energy Drinks • The...more