The Briefing: The Supreme Court Limits the Reach of The Lanham Act
The U.S. Trademark Use Requirement and Associated Risks and Strategies for Chinese Applicants
The Supreme Court recently ruled in Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International, Inc. that Lanham Act (Act) remedies for trademark infringement do not extend to infringing conduct that takes place outside the United...more
In its recent decision in Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International, Inc., the Supreme Court instructed that certain trademark infringement claims can only be pursued where the infringing conduct occurs domestically. The...more
Can a party be held liable in the United States for trademark infringement based on use of a mark in other countries? In Abitron Austria GmbH et al. v. Hetronic Int’l, Inc., 600 U.S. __ (2023), the Supreme Court recently...more
The Supreme Court of the United States recently considered whether portions of the Lanham Act that relate to trademark infringement can be applied to conduct that takes place outside the United States. Abitron Austria GmbH et...more
The Supreme Court decided the extraterritorial reach of two provisions of the Lanham Act prohibiting trademark infringement. Abitron appealed the Tenth Circuit’s decision that the Lanham Act extended to Abitron’s foreign...more
On June 29, 2023, the US Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International, Inc., limiting the extraterritorial reach of provisions of the Lanham Act prohibiting trademark...more
The US Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $90 million verdict for trademark infringement under the Lanham Act, 97% of which was attributed to purely extraterritorial conduct. While the holding attempts to draw a...more
A June 29, 2023 Supreme Court ruling limits the reach of the Lanham Act to essentially only domestic use of a mark in commerce. The Supreme Court’s opinion in Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic Int’l Inc. overturns a Tenth...more
How far does the Lanham Act’s reach extend? The Supreme Court gave us one answer in Abitron Austria GmbH et al. v. Hetronic International, Inc. and made it simple: not very far....more
Under the Lanham Act, a trademark is considered abandoned “when its use has been discontinued with intent not to resume such use.” Three consecutive years of nonuse constitutes a prima facie showing of abandonment...more
Federal trademark registration is the Holy Grail for companies, especially franchises, looking to expand their footprint and access a national audience. But even though trademark registration confers on owners certain...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
I used to love pocket watches. My Wyatt Earp Halloween costume was not complete until I had a gold pocket watch hanging from my black vest. It’s no surprise then that reading the court’s decision on a motion for summary...more
In 2005, Christian Faith Fellowship Church, a Chicago-based church group, filed two trademark applications for the mark ADD A ZERO for use on clothing, including shirts and caps that they later sold to raise money for...more
Before Newman, Linn, and Dyk. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. Summary: The Trademark Act’s definition of “use in commerce” as a requirement for obtaining a federal trademark does...more
There were many interesting trademark cases coming out of 2018, a few of which are discussed below. The scope of Canada’s anti-dilution remedy (section 22 of the Trademarks Act) is not limited to a defendant’s use of a...more
In Tommie Copper IP Inc v Gcool-Tech Usa LLC (Opposition No 91223768 (9 May 2018) [not precedential]), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) has dismissed an opposition where the applicant did not have use in commerce...more
Pharmaceutical name clearance in the United States can be complicated. This post aims to provide insight into the regulatory safety review process and the trademark registration process for candidate drug names. This...more
Eastern District Heavyweight Bout Ends in Stunning Trademark Technical Knockout - Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor's late-August 2017 matchup may be the most highly anticipated boxing event in decades. But while "The...more
Good evidence wins cases. In a trademark opposition, evidence demonstrating how and for how long a mark has been used in commerce (for example, on hangtags, labels, packaging, signage, invoices and online platforms) can be...more
The Sixth Circuit recently issued an opinion in NetJets Inc. v. IntelliJet Group, LLC Inc. (unpublished), holding that where a trademark registration is incontestable, it may not be cancelled on the ground that it was void ab...more
In 2009, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected shoe manufacturer Adidas’s application to trademark the phrase “ADIZERO,” due to a likelihood of confusion with an existing mark: “ADD A ZERO,” a clothing trademark held...more
Coca-Cola has Acquired Secondary Meaning in ZERO for Colas - In an opposition proceeding before the TTAB, Royal Crown (RC) and Dr. Pepper/Seven Up sought to prevent registration of seventeen applications filed by...more
The Redskins Lose Again (Off the Field)- A federal District Court affirmed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB) ruling that “Redskins” cannot be registered as a trademark for use in connection with a...more