Supply Chain Disruptions with Special Guest Chris Mills, CEO of Lion Brand Yarn
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Matt Silverman on Export Compliance
Navigating Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act
SO VERY HARD TO GO (NOT)! In Pursuit of Puerto Rican Tax Incentives
Prohibitions on Use of Chinese Telecommunications Equipment and Services, Complying with the NDAA
Williams Mullen's COVID-19 Comeback Plan: Part I – Doing Business With the Commonwealth of Virginia
Williams Mullen's COVID-19 Comeback Plan: Selling Products and Services to the Federal Government
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Congratulations on successfully trademarking your product or brand! Now it’s crucial to protect that investment through diligent trademark oversight and enforcement. This involves actively monitoring for, and taking...more
Registering a trademark across multiple jurisdictions can be a complex process. Brand owners must strike a balance between maximizing protection across their jurisdictions of interest and managing both risks and costs to...more
Global E-commerce platforms continue to grow, with many online marketplaces replacing traditional brick-and-mortar stores. While online marketplaces help legitimate products reach consumers more widely than brick-and-mortar...more
In trademark law, the concept of distinctiveness is central to protecting your brand and ensuring it stands out in the marketplace. Understanding the levels of trademark distinctiveness can help startup founders make informed...more
As you dive into the world of trademarks to protect your brand, one element you will encounter during the registration process with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the “specimen of use.” Understanding this...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: Toms...more
A “trademark” is any word, phrase, logo or design that identifies the source of goods or services. Trademarks are used to distinguish one’s products and services from those of another. The strength of a trademark depends on...more
With the constant rise of counterfeiting, protecting one’s brand is now more important than ever. Many brand owners already take protective steps to protect their brands such as registering brands through trademark and...more
The European Union Digital Services Act (DSA) now applies to all digital “intermediary services” that provide users with access to online goods, services, and content. The DSA took effect on November 16, 2022, and regulates a...more
There once was a company named Zotz, Which created toys for tots, Let’s use “Robotoy,” Zotz declares, File at once, Lawyer Zares, Months later, Zotz is dejected, Too descriptive, trademark rejected. First published in...more
One of the signs of a healthy trademark is a certain level of distinctiveness. Distinctiveness is related to consumers’ love and recognition of a mark as an indicator of a product’s source, such that consumers trust the mark...more
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
Unless you live under a rock, you have likely heard of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence-powered chatbox, and the praises being sung regarding its unlimited functions. Ask it anything, they say. Have it summarize...more
Think about your favorite pizza restaurant. What sets it apart from the frozen pizza you could pick up from your local grocery store? Is it the cheese-stuffed crust? The quality of the pepperoni?...more
A trademark applicant should carefully declare the designated goods/services based on its current scope of business and the future development strategy in order to obtain the maximum legal protection for the future brand...more
Overview of the metaverse - Facebook’s recent re-branding to Meta1 has significantly increased interest in the “metaverse”. Although the concept of the metaverse is still evolving, it is generally understood to be a...more
It is a fundamental principle of trademark law that no business should be able to prevent others from using apt language to accurately describe their goods and services. For this reason, clearly descriptive trademarks are...more
While Shakespeare may have wondered “what is in a name?”, the executives at Peloton believe that the trademark SPIN is of great importance. Last month (February, 2021), Peloton filed petitions to cancel the trademarks SPIN...more
So, you’ve taken the leap. You’re starting a business. Congrats! You’re excited; you’re ambitious; the world is your oyster. Perhaps you’re building an app, or maybe a new clothing line? Or maybe you’ve created an animal...more
Sometimes it is necessary to use a third-party trademark to refer to the owner of a trademark or its goods and services, and not to describe a particular good or service. Can this use result in trademark infringement? ...more
As a trademark attorney, devoted Baltimore Ravens fan, and furtive TMZ reader, I couldn’t help but notice this story authored recently, describing how Mark Ingram’s aspirations of registering BIG TRUSS in the US Trademark...more
On January 1, 2020, the recreational use of marijuana will be legal under Illinois law. With the formal enactment of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, it is expected that numerous new companies will be gearing up to enter...more
The mark must be used “in Commerce” and in good faith in the ordinary course of trade. While the USPTO will generally not conduct an inquiry, the applicant must claim use that qualifies as “Use in U.S. Commerce”. ...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
Your community association ("Association") probably invests substantial resources in protecting and maintaining its green spaces, facilities, and other common elements. But what about its good name? If your community is of...more