In a precedential decision earlier this month, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board upheld refusals to register two trademarks owned by National Concessions Group Inc. (“National”) on the ground that the goods – essential oil...more
Trademark owners and practitioners have some extra reasons to celebrate this year, as the majority of the Trademark Modernization Act went into effect on December 18, 2021. Among other benefits for trademark infringement...more
12/24/2021
/ Brand ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Ex Partes Reexamination ,
Expungement ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
The December 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses new enforcement tools courtesy of the Trademark Modernization Act; Pfizer's acquisition of Arena Pharmaceuticals; the latest developments in...more
12/23/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Brand ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Ex Partes Reexamination ,
Expungement ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Pfizer ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Websites
Future Intentions Not Enough to Pave the Road to Registration -
“Reduces pain,” “alleviates anxiety,” “improves sleep” – these are just some of the claims of the miraculous CBD. The surfeit of new CBD brands and products...more
10/4/2021
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent-to-Use ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
The September 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a recent non-precedential Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision regarding intent-to-use applications covering CBD products currently...more
10/1/2021
/ Banking Reform ,
Banking Sector ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Criminal Penalties ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Drug Possession ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent-to-Use ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
On February 4, 2021, Congress introduced another CBD deregulation bill, H.R. 841 – Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2021, which, like H.R. 8179, legalizes marketing of hemp, CBD,...more
Naughty With Nature -
Last week, the FDA issued two warning letters to companies selling drugs where CBD is listed as an ingredient on the label. The FDA’s “naughty list” of companies manufacturing CBD-ingredient drugs is...more
The March 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses fair use cases for photographs and three recent developments in the cannabis space. We also highlight recent accolades earned by Sterne Kessler's...more
4/5/2021
/ Artists ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Dietary Supplements ,
Fair Use ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jurisdiction ,
Marketing ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Photographs ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Substantially Similar ,
Trademarks ,
Warning Letters
Trailblazing Legislation to Watch in 2021 -
Welcome to our first installment of Watching the Pot™, which will provide summaries on recent buzz-worthy cannabis information, including decisions, legislation, news, and cases...more
12/30/2020
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Trademark Registration
[co-author: Joseph Diorio, Law Clerk]
The December 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses the implications of Brexit on .eu domain names owned by UK registrants, recent cannabis legislation,...more
12/28/2020
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
EU ,
gTLD ,
Hemp ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Sunrise Periods ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
Creativity abounds in the CBD industry – both in the wide variety of products infused with it, and in the efforts undergone by applicants trying to circumvent the Trademark Act to register per se unlawful CBD-infused...more
10/3/2020
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Commerce Clause ,
Farm Bill ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Hemp ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Marijuana ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
Use in Commerce ,
USPTO
The September 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses the state of the CBD industry, including a recent non-precedential TTAB decision regarding CBD-infused supplements, as well as the open gTLD...more
A June 16, 2020 precedential decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board held that Federal trademark registration is not available for food, beverages, or nutritional/dietary supplements to which hemp-derived cannibidiol...more
7/17/2020
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Corporate Branding ,
Dietary Supplements ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Federal Trademark Register ,
Hemp ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
Rebranding ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks
The June 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter leads with breaking news of today's Supreme Court's decision in favor of Booking.com. Other topics discussed include copyright applications covering a...more
7/8/2020
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Appeals ,
Booking.com ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Copyright Applications ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Generic Marks ,
Lanham Act ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Prioritized Examination ,
Scams ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
United States Patent and Trademark Office v Booking.com BV ,
USPTO
Following the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill [see related article1], the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) just this morning released a new Trademark Examination Guide for marks covering cannabis and...more
5/3/2019
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Farm Bill ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Goods or Services ,
Hemp ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
New Regulations ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Examination ,
Trademark Examination Guide ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
The April 2019 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter addresses the legal status of cosmetic products containing hemp-derived CBD and guidance on “point of sale” specimens sufficient to support...more