The Supreme Court held last week that BOOKING.COM—when used in connection with hotel reservation services—is not generic, rejecting the USPTO’s “sweeping rule” that a combination of a generic word and “.com” is generic. The...more
7/7/2020
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Appeals ,
Booking.com ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Generic Marks ,
Lanham Act ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
United States Patent and Trademark Office v Booking.com BV ,
USPTO
Following on the heels of Matal v. Tam in 2017, the Supreme Court on Monday issued a 6-3 opinion in Iancu v. Brunetti striking down the Lanham Act’s prohibition on “immoral” and “scandalous” trademarks, holding that it...more
6/27/2019
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Iancu v. Brunetti ,
Lanham Act ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
Scandalous/Immoral Marks ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Viewpoint Discrimination
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently launched a pilot program designed to expedite cancellation proceedings at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). ...more
On October 7, 2016, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) published a Federal Register Notice of Final Rulemaking amending the Trademark Rules of Practice that govern practice before the Trademark Trial and Appeal...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled last week that Section 2(a) of the Trademark Act, 15 U.S.C. 1052(a), the provision used as a basis to bar registration of “disparaging” marks, is...more