When Consent Isn’t Enough – The TTAB’s Decision in In re Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla
NFTs on Trial: The Yuga Labs Verdict and What It Means for the Digital Frontier — The Crypto Exchange Podcast
(Podcast) The Briefing: When Consent Isn’t Enough – The TTAB’s Decision in In re Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla
(Podcast) The Briefing - Neil Young vs. Chrome Hearts: When Rock Meets Runway in Court
The Briefing: Is the Bored Ape Yacht Club Trademark Claim Just Monkey Business?
Is My Guitar Pedal a Klone or a Counterfeit? — No Infringement Intended Podcast
(Podcast) The Briefing: Sinking the Rogers Test? What Pepperdine’s Lawsuit Could Mean for Hollywood
The Briefing: Sinking the Rogers Test? What Pepperdine’s Lawsuit Could Mean for Hollywood
(Podcast) The Briefing: Trademark Smoked: The Fall of General Cigar’s COHIBA Registration
The Briefing: Trademark Smoked: The Fall of General Cigar’s COHIBA Registration
(Podcast) The Briefing: Influencer Fail – ALO Yoga & Influencers Named in $150M Class Action Lawsuit for FTC Violations
(Podcast) The Briefing: Trademark Mayhem – Lady Gaga Gets Sued for Trademark Infringement
The Briefing: Trademark Mayhem – Lady Gaga Gets Sued for Trademark Infringement
The Briefing: Everyone Loves the HBO Series 'White Lotus,' Except Duke University
SCOTUS and federal court rulings on TTAB decisions on granting trademarks and trademark renewals; Netflix settling an anticipated defamation case with a disclaimer and donation
Tag, You’re Sued: Graffiti Artists Sue Over Use of Their Tags
(Podcast) The Briefing: Tag, You’re Sued: Graffiti Artists Sue Over Use of Their Tags
The IP of Everything Podcast - Episode 22 - The IP of Dog Toys
Roundup of 2023 Entertainment Law Cases: Analysis SAG/AFTRA and WGA contracts, No Parody of Iconic Sneaker, AI Copyright Highlights China vs US law; SCOTUS Bad Spaniel and Warhol/Prince.
A consent agreement can be a powerful tool to overcome a USPTO likelihood-of-confusion refusal—but only if it’s done right. In this episode of The Briefing, Weintraub Tobin attorneys Scott Hervey and Richard Buckley discuss...more
In this edition of The Precedent, we outline the decision in Sunkist Growers, Inc. v. Intrastate Distribs., Inc. The Federal Circuit reversed a decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) dismissing Sunkist...more
A basic rule of trademark law is that trademark protection cannot be obtained for a term that is “generic,” meaning that it simply designates the type of goods at issue. For example, the term “apple” is generic when used to...more
The TTAB recently hit a sour note for Shaklee Corporation, affirming on appeal a Section 2(d) refusal of its application to register IN HARMONY WITH NATURE for “online retail store services” because it found the mark too...more
The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Apex Bank v. CC Serve Corp. serves as a pointed reminder to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) that it must maintain consistency across its DuPont factor analysis. While the...more
Color can be a powerful tool for brand recognition, but securing trademark protection for a color mark involves unique legal and evidentiary challenges. Recent decisions from the Federal Circuit and Trademark Trial and Appeal...more
Last year, we told you about the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) refusing to register a trademark for the “F-Word” on cell phone cases, luggage, jewelry, and other goods. On August 25, the Federal Circuit said, “Not...more
Bono, Madonna, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem, Drake, Cher, Sting, Lorde, Flea, Adele, Bjork, Seal, Pink: these celebrities all share the same elite status of fame to be known by a single name. But the standalone celebrity name...more
Whether a business is launching a new product or rebranding an existing company, selecting a name, logo, or slogan is a crucial decision. Trademarks are powerful tools that identify the source of goods or services and protect...more
SUNKIST GROWERS, INC. v. INTRASTATE DISTRIBUTORS, INC. - Before Prost, Taranto, and Stark. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. The TTAB incorrectly found that similar trademarks created distinct commercial...more
In the competitive landscape of branding and intellectual property, conducting a trademark search before adopting a brand name or filing a trademark application is not just best practice—it’s strategically necessary. This...more
IN RE THOMAS D. FOSTER, APC, - Before Moore, Prost, and Stoll. Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act bars registration of a pending application for a mark that falsely...more
IN RE: VETEMENTS GROUP AG - Before Prost, Wallach, and Chen. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. A party opposing application of the doctrine of foreign equivalents has the burden to show that the ordinary...more
In a precedential decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently blessed the test used by the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) for denying registration to PT Medisafe Technologies for a...more
In this episode of The Upper Brand, Kristine Young and Rich Assmus discuss the recent Federal Circuit case regarding the doctrine of foreign equivalents in trademark law. They explore the concepts of descriptiveness and...more
We previously reported that on January 18, 2025, the USPTO implemented its new fee schedule, setting certain new fees and raising some existing ones. Now that the fees have been in place for a while, this Client Alert is to...more
As noted in the linked article, many iconic brands, including Ford, Harley-Davidson, and JC Penney (yes, he was real), bear the surnames of their founders. These names often lend a sense of authenticity or legacy that...more
In filing to register a trademark on an “intent-to-use” basis, the applicant must verify that it has a good faith “bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce.” 15 U.S.C. § 1051(b). Assuming there is nothing on the face...more
In a rare precedential decision involving Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently upheld a denial by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of applications filed for US...more
Addressing for the first time the test for determining whether a color mark is generic, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit adopted the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s Milwaukee test as the appropriate standard,...more
In refusing registration of the color green for “chloroprene medical examination gloves,” the Federal Circuit adopted — for the first time — a legal test for genericness of color marks. The decision underscores the high...more
Since the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has seen a surge in trademark applications for the phrase. Seventeen new applications have been filed...more
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has introduced new trademark fees for 2025. These changes are designed to address increased operating costs and examination times and they will impact many routine...more
In yet another recent example of the need for care in establishing a full record when appealing the denial of a trademark application, on April 14, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the denial of...more