In a 9-0 decision authored by Justice Sotomayor, the Supreme Court held on January 21, 2015 that trademark tacking is a question of fact, which should be decided by a jury. The case, Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank, sought...more
Many commentators have weighed-in on the Supreme Court's recent Hana Financial decision, which involved two competing HANA-formative marks for financial services, including one that had been modified over the years to couple...more
The Supreme Court of the United States, in a unanimous decision stated that “because the tacking inquiry operates from the perspective of the ordinary purchaser or consumer, we hold that a jury should make this...more
On January 20, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision written by Justice Sonya Sotomayor, issued its first trademark ruling in more than a decade. The Court held that “trademark tacking” is a factual issue...more
The United States Supreme Court settles circuit split, ruling that juries determine if a party’s revisions to a trademark impart the same commercial impression to consumers. Trademark owners often update their marks...more
In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the Ninth Circuit Hana Financial v. Hana Bank and ruled that the question of “tacking” — whether a party’s prior version of its trademark is so closely similar to the current...more
Sheppard Mullin’s intellectual property group prevailed before the United States Supreme Court in the trademark matter entitled Hana Financial v. Hana Bank. 574 U.S. ___ (2015). Justice Sotomayor, writing for a unanimous...more
On January 21, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court in Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank, held that whether two trademarks are "legal equivalents" and thus may be "tacked" together for purposes of determining priority is a question...more
DISTRICT COURT CASES - Akin Gump Wins Section 101 Motion to Dismiss, Invalidating 887 Patent Claims - Following Supreme Court precedent set forth in Alice Corp. Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank International, Judge Sleet...more
The Supreme Court issued its first substantive trademark decision of the current term yesterday in Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank. The district court had charged the jury with determining whether Hana Bank’s original mark,...more
On January 21, 2015, the United States Supreme Court in Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank, case number 13-1211, unanimously held that in cases (1) that go to a jury and (2) whose facts do not warrant either summary judgment...more
On January 21, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a unanimous decision in Hana Financial, Inc. vs. Hana Bank, et. al., pertaining to a substantive trademark matter, namely, whether a judge or jury should...more
“Trademark tacking” is an issue of fact that must be decided by a jury, the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank, et al. “Trademark tacking” is the doctrine by which a trademark...more
In its first substantive trademark ruling in more than a decade, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held on January 21, in Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank et al., No. 13-1211, that tacking – which is whether two trademarks...more
In a recent case, Hana Financial Inc. v. Hana Bank et al., the Supreme Court of the United States was presented with the question of whether a judge or a jury should determine if tacking was available in a particular...more
In the first substantial trademark case in over a decade, the Supreme Court unanimously decided that a jury can apply the tacking doctrine and decide whether two trademarks, used by a single party, convey the same commercial...more
The tacking doctrine allows trademark owners to make slight modifications to their marks over time without an attendant loss of rights. Specifically, owners can claim priority in a mark based on the first use date of a...more
Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank, No. 13-1211. The issue presented was whether the judge or the jury should determine whether two trademarks may be “tacked” for purposes of...more
The Supreme Court’s decision that juries should decide whether consumers would consider two marks to be the same for the purpose of trademark tacking may help resolve a split in the circuits as to whether the likelihood of...more
In its October 2014 term, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in two trademark cases. Both cases have practical significance for trademark litigants because they have the potential to change the way parties approach...more
In trademark law, rights in a trademark are determined by the date of the mark’s first use in commerce, and the party who first uses the mark in commerce has priority over other users. Under the doctrine of "tacking," under...more
The U.S. Supreme Court kicked 2015 off with an intellectual property bang, issuing two important rulings earlier this week. Both decisions focus on the facts underpinning intellectual property disputes—who decides them and...more
This week, the Court rendered two IP opinions in Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. v. Sandoz, Inc., No. 13-854 (argued October 15, 2014) and Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank, No. 13-1211 (argued December 3, 2014) . Teva...more
In the first substantive trademark decision it has issued in a decade, the US Supreme Court, in Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank, case number 13-1211 (January 21, 2015), affirmed the Ninth Circuit by holding that whether two...more
Yesterday, the Supreme Court unanimously held in Hana Financial v. Hana Bank, 574 U.S. ___ (2015), that trademark tacking is a question for juries. Trademark tacking, or the ability to "tack" a new mark to an older mark in...more