(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: The Fall of SUPER HERO – When Trademarks Become Generic
The Briefing: The Fall of SUPER HERO – When Trademarks Become Generic
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: NBA Star Luka Doncic Goes Hard in the Paint and Seeks to Cancel Mom’s Trademark (Part 2)
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: NBA Star Luka Doncic Goes Hard in the Paint and Seeks to Cancel Mom’s Trademark (Part 1)
Podcast: The Briefing by the IP Law Blog - NBA Star Luka Doncic Goes Hard in the Paint and Seeks to Cancel Mom’s Trademark (Part 1)
Podcast: The Briefing by the IP Law Blog - Prince Estate Wants Winery's 'Purple Rain' Trademark Back in the Bottle
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Prince Estate Wants Winery's 'Purple Rain' Trademark Back in the Bottle
Podcast: The Briefing by the IP Law Blog - NCAA Erects Challenge to ‘Vasectomy Mayhem’ Trademark
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: NCAA Erects Challenge to ‘Vasectomy Mayhem’ Trademark
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: SPIN Trademark Has Peloton Wrapped Around the Axel
In Case C-412/24, the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") took up the question of whether including a date in a trademark can render such trademark deceptive. The case stemmed from a divergence between French...more
This month: a TTAB use-in-commerce decision worth bookmarking, Taylor Swift’s push to use trademark law against AI misuse, a false endorsement suit against Samsung, and a roadside trade dress fight in Georgia....more
On March 23, the Japan Patent Office ("JPO") published its JPO Status Report 2026 ("2026 Report"). The yearly status reports provide comprehensive statistical data and policy updates in both English and Japanese regarding...more
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams filed four trademark applications for the mark “Iceman” on March 16, seeking to protect the nickname he earned during a breakout NFL season. Originally published in Law360 - April...more
Consider the following scenario: you have just landed on a new brand name for your business or product. However, you discover that another business is already using it, but has not obtained a federal trademark registration....more
The U.S. Trademark Office is in the middle of a major tech glow-up. With new online filing systems, enhanced tools to eliminate fake or dormant trademarks, and the potential use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to predict...more
The High Court of Australia has handed down its highly anticipated decision in Taylor v Killer Queen LLC [2026] HCA 5 in a narrow 3-2 majority, ending a decade-long trade mark battle between American pop star Katy Perry (born...more
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board recently cancelled long-standing federal registrations for the terms SUPER HEROand SUPER HEROES, once jointly owned by two of the world's largest comic publishers. While these marks were...more
In a recent TTAB decision, a federal trademark registration covering bicycle goods was cancelled on multiple grounds including likelihood of confusion and fraud. The case underscores the importance of accurate use evidence in...more
A significant risk that brands fear is that others may file their trade mark first in a new market, as most trade mark systems operate under a ‘first to file’ approach. Brands can therefore be comforted by the UK Intellectual...more
Tucked away in the text of the law that ended the 2025 federal shutdown is a provision amending a handful of paragraphs from the 2018 farm bill. Although seemingly minor, this amendment may threaten the 28-billion-dollar hemp...more
The Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has stopped copying local Chinese trademark agents on notifications for international trademarks designating China through the Madrid System....more
2025 marked a year of adaptive reform in Canadian trademark law. Decisions, legislative updates, CIPO initiatives, and procedural enhancements collectively show the system continuing to mature in the wake of the 2019...more
A recent United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“Federal Circuit”) decision highlighted the importance of litigation strategy. ...more
On 27 December 2025, the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress released the Draft Amendment to the Trademark Law of the PRC for public comment. Comments from stakeholders are due by 10 February 2026, and...more
As of January 1, it’s been five years since Brexit (where does the time go?!). Its final implications for trademark rights in the EU and UK took effect as we rang in the new year. As a reminder, even if you don’t recall...more
Game Plan, Inc. v. Uninterrupted IP, LLC, No. 2024-1407, 2025 WL 3534330 (Fed. Cir. Dec. 10, 2025) - On December 10, the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”)’s decision to cancel Game...more
Elon Musk’s year of controversy continues as startup Operation Bluebird attempts to take flight with its rival social media platform — “twitter.new” — by asking the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to find that Musk’s...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s cancellation of a registration and dismissal of registrant’s opposition, finding that the cancellation petitioner had priority...more
Eminem’s recent trademark activities raise a question. Is Slim being shady in attempting to enforce his trademark rights, or is he duly protecting his brands? Protecting one’s trademarks isn’t just for big businesses, online...more
Some brands never fully fade, especially in industries in which nostalgia and cultural memory keep the brand alive long after a product line takes a step back. Nike’s TOTAL 90 line is one such example, remembered from its...more
The court has reminded brand owners that position trade marks must comprise a single identifiable sign, and cannot be left open-ended by broad written descriptions. Fashion brand Thom Browne applied for declarations of...more
Following Brexit, the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) automatically converted approximately two million EU trade marks into comparable UK trade marks (“UK trademark clones”) to preserve protection in the...more
In May 2025, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released updated Guidelines on applications for three-year non-use cancellation actions against registered trademarks (Updated Guidelines). A key...more
The long-running dispute between CeramTec GmbH and CoorsTek Bioceramics LLC over the color pink for ceramic hip-joint components has reached the U.S. Supreme Court. CeramTec recently filed a petition for certiorari...more