Thank you for reading the October 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss an ongoing trademark suit involving a claim of irreparable harm, share the now open gTLD Sunrise periods,...more
10/28/2022
/ Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc v Goldsmith ,
Cease and Desist ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Fair Use ,
False Advertising ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Irreparable Harm ,
Lanham Act ,
Oral Argument ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Websites
U.S. brand owners were heartened to learn of the Show Cause Order issued late last week by the USPTO’s Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks, which takes aim at potentially thousands of trademark applications thought to...more
Thank you for reading the August 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss a Show Cause Order recently issued by the USPTO to combat thousands of fraudulent trademark applications. We...more
9/1/2022
/ Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Order to Show Cause ,
Rules of Practice ,
Sanctions ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Websites
In the past week, the USPTO has implemented two new policies designed to better address how applicants and law firms work in 2022.
Electronic Trademark Certificates -
First, as of May 24, 2022, the USPTO has moved to...more
Thank you for reading the May 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss Spotify's exploration into NFTs, two new USPTO policies with practical implications for trademark applicants...more
5/26/2022
/ Artists ,
Big Tech ,
Blockchain ,
Cancer ,
Cannabis Products ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Internet ,
Medical Research ,
Metaverse ,
Music Industry ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Research Funding ,
Signatures ,
Smart Contracts ,
Spotify ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Websites
When Fame is the Name of the Game -
As of the third quarter of 2021, Swedish music streaming company SPOTIFY boasted 381 million monthly active users worldwide – significantly more than the population of the entire United...more
2/1/2022
/ Brand ,
Dilution ,
Dispensaries ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Spotify ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks
Happy New Year! We’re excited to share the January 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter in a newly updated format. This month’s articles discuss the Pantone Color Institute's 2022 Color of the Year –...more
1/28/2022
/ Brand ,
Color Marks ,
Dilution ,
Dispensaries ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Spotify ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks
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
The October 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a precedential TTAB decision regarding fraud; the DEA's proposal to increase production quotas for several schedule I controlled substances,...more
10/26/2021
/ Cannabis Products ,
Clinical Trials ,
Controlled Substances ,
DEA ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
False Statements ,
Fraud ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Quotas ,
Reckless Disregard ,
Research and Development ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Cancellation ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Websites
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
If you recently filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, you may have noticed that the average time to first action (initial examination) is about six months from the application’s filing date...more
The August 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses Monster Energy's history of trademark disputes in the context of enhancing brand strength, tips for shortening the pendency of trademark filings...more
8/30/2021
/ Brand ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent-to-Use ,
Monster Energy Drinks ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Cancellation ,
Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Opposition Proceedings ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
The USPTO issued an alert earlier this week reporting that as of June 17, 2021, U.S. trademark application filings had increased 63% over the prior year, translating into about 211,000 more applications. And, while this...more
The June 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses recent litigation surrounding copyright registration invalidation and implications of the increase in trademark application filings at the USPTO....more
6/29/2021
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Office ,
Copyright Registration ,
Evidence ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent to Defraud ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Patents ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
[co-author: Sahar A. Ahmed, Law Clerk]
The May 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses the USPTO's new Native American Tribal Insignia Database and two recent trademark litigation cases...more
5/28/2021
/ Brand ,
Business & Professions Code ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Confusingly Similar ,
Databases ,
Disgorgement ,
Heritage & Culture ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
Native American Issues ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Searches ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
As has been the case in recent years, trademark filings in 2020 again increased over the previous year. While at first glance this may seem to indicate that the U.S. economy continues to grow and innovate, at least some of...more
2/2/2021
/ Ex Partes Reexamination ,
Expungement ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Cancellation ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
[co-author: Joseph Diorio, Law Clerk]
The January 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses: a recent non-precedential TTAB decision on background designs; the Trademark Modernization Act;...more
1/29/2021
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Color Marks ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Lanham Act ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Utility Patents
[co-author: Joseph Diorio, Law Clerk]
The November 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a rare failure-to-function refusal reversal at the TTAB, Google's efforts to combat counterfeit goods,...more
12/2/2020
/ Counterfeiting ,
Domain Names ,
Filing Fees ,
Google ,
gTLD ,
Online Marketplace ,
Reversal ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
In a complaint filed late last month in the Northern District of Illinois, Edible Arrangements, purveyors of fancy fruit bouquets, initiated a trademark infringement suit against cannabis company Green Thumb Industries Inc.,...more
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
PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO cheese and CHAMPAGNE sparkling wine. These are not only delicious products, welcome at any well-appointed summer picnic, but also geographical certification marks – a subset of trademarks limited to use by...more
We are excited to introduce the new look of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter! The August 2020 issue discusses a recent precedential TTAB case regarding an attempt to protect Gruyère cheese as a geographic...more
The June 30th Supreme Court decision in Booking.com held that generic terms coupled with top-level domain names can be eligible for trademark registration. This decision is a win for brand owners as it reinforces how – in the...more
7/14/2020
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Appeals ,
Booking.com ,
Descriptive Trademarks ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Generic Marks ,
Lanham Act ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
United States Patent and Trademark Office v Booking.com BV ,
USPTO
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