The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Let Russ Cook: An NFL-Sized Introduction to ITU Applications
Protecting Your Brand in China
Future Intentions Not Enough to Pave the Road to Registration - “Reduces pain,” “alleviates anxiety,” “improves sleep” – these are just some of the claims of the miraculous CBD. The surfeit of new CBD brands and products...more
The September 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a recent non-precedential Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision regarding intent-to-use applications covering CBD products currently...more
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
Beyoncé, named by Forbes as the Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment, has built a business empire that stretches into entertainment, fashion, major product endorsements, as well as music production and streaming distribution....more
Veronica Morales, a wedding/event planner providing services under the trademark BLUE IVY, has unsuccessfully challenged a pending application for the mark BLUE IVY CARTER, filed by BGK Trademark Holdings, LLC (Beyoncé...more
The United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) recently refused registration to two trademark applications for cannabis and marijuana vaporizers, finding no bona fide intent to lawfully use the marks in commerce...more
Trademarks protect distinctive marks, such as brand names, logos, and designs. This protection allows a trademark holder to exclude others from using the mark without permission of the owner. The following includes important,...more
For any baseball fans already preparing to capitalize when their favorite team wins their next World Series game, you may strike out before getting up to bat at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) in the United...more
Earlier this month, a federal jury in North Carolina hit Walmart with a $95.5 million verdict for its willful infringement of Variety Stores, Inc.’s “BACKYARD” trademarks. The jury awarded $45.5 million as a reasonable...more
On May 31, 2017, President Trump tweeted a half-formed message with a mystifying final word: “Despite the constant negative press covfefe”. The Twitterverse and other social media platforms went wild with re-tweets, memes and...more
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued an important decision about the bona fide intent requirement when filing an intent to use (“ITU”) application and the consequences when there is a lack of bona fide intent as...more
Assignment of an intent-to-use trademark application can be fraught with risk. To deter “trafficking” in ITU applications, Section 10 of the Lanham Act prohibits the assignment of an ITU application before an amendment to...more
Barbeque Manufacturer Feels the Burn after TTAB Ruling - The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board sustained the opposition to an application to register SWISS GRILLS for lack of bona fide intent at the time of filing and for...more
The number of successful oppositions against trademark applications based on a claim that the applicant had “no bona fide intent to use” has been increasing in recent years. On September 10, 2015, in Swiss Grill Ltd. v. Wolf...more
Addressing what constitutes sufficient evidence of “bona fide intent” to use a trademark in commerce, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB or Board) decision...more
Applicant’s Application for Concurrent Use Registration of DELMONICO’S is Denied Due to Likelihood of Confusion with Other Restaurants - The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) refused Southwestern Management’s...more
In a recent ruling the Federal Circuit affirmed the decision of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) sustaining an opposition against a trademark application on the grounds that the applicant failed to prove that it...more
Staking an early claim to a brand has inspired many hasty (and sometimes ill-advised) trademark applications. For example, trademark applications representing political rallying cries and pop culture slogans such as JE SUIS...more
Addressing for the first time whether the offering of a service was sufficient “use in commerce” under the Lanham Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB)...more
When used effectively, brand and merchandise licensing can increase the value of a brand by extending it into new, relevant product categories and by further monetizing brand equity. And when seeking to protect a brand in...more
In this issue: - The Early Bird Gets the Trademark: Don’t Delay Filing Intent-to-Use Applications - Color Wars: Narrowing Color Claims in Trademark Rights - It’s Good to Be Famous: TTAB Expands...more
Merger and Acquisitions often involve the acquisition and/or assignment of trademarks. Companies acquiring trademarks must beware of potential problems lurking with intent-to-use (ITU) trademark applications (or applications...more
Bona fide intent, the sine qua non of non-use trademark applications, was given new meaning by the TTAB in a decision released unpublished February 21, 2014 but redesignated as precedent on March 26, 2014, thus placing at...more
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) recently granted summary judgment sustaining an opposition against an application based on intent-to-use (“ITU”) on the sole ground that the applicant had no tangible proof of any...more