News & Analysis as of

Appeals Trademark Infringement Trademark Litigation

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Federal Circuit Finds Sua Sponte is Not a Good Vintage

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

Legal decisions, like fine wine, should be balanced. The Federal Circuit recently corked a non-precedential TTAB decision that ECHO D’ANGÉLUS was not confusingly similar to ECHO DE LYNCH BAGES, where both were used for wine,...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

It’s not monkey business: NFTs can be trademarked

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concluded that a non-fungible token (NFT) is a “good” under the Lanham Act but reversed the district court’s grant of summary judgment for trademark infringement because the owner...more

Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP

The Federal Circuit takes on Kisses, Sunlight, and Soft Drinks

An application for a US trademark may be rejected if it is likely, when used on or in connection with the goods of the applicant, to cause confusion with another registered mark. On July 23, in Sunkist Growers, Inc. v....more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Clean bill of health: Only domestic activities count when analyzing likelihood of confusion

Affirming a summary judgment decision finding no trademark infringement under the Lanham Act, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit determined that the district court properly focused on domestic activity with regard...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Not So Fast...Online Retailer Wants New Trademark Trial Against Penn State

In the ongoing trademark dispute between The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) against online retailer Vintage Brand, LLC (Vintage), along with its manufacturer and distributor Sportswear Inc. d/b/a Prep Sportswear...more

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt PC

Latest Federal Court Cases: Top Brand LLC v. Cozy Comfort Company LLC

Top Brand LLC v. Cozy Comfort Company LLC, Appeal No. 2024-2191 (Fed. Cir. July 17, 2025) In this week’s Case of the Week, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that prosecution history disclaimer applies to...more

Hogan Lovells

Iconix v Dream Pairs: post sale confusion is enough for UK trade mark infringement

Hogan Lovells on

The UK Supreme Court has allowed Dream Pairs’ appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal and confirmed that post-sale confusion alone is sufficient for UK trade mark infringement to be established because damage to...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Don’t walk away: Trademark owner can’t bring infringement suit against co-owner

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a district court’s summary judgment decision that a co-owner of a trademark cannot bring infringement or dilution claims under the Lanham Act against other co-owners or...more

Jones Day

UK Supreme Court Holds Post-Sale Confusion is Relevant for Establishing Trade Mark Infringement

Jones Day on

The Court ruled that the post-sale context can be relevant when establishing similarity between trade marks....more

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

No “Sale,” No Trademark: Ninth Circuit Dismisses “WallStreetBets” Founder’s Infringement Claim Against Reddit for Lack of...

On June 11, 2025, in likely the most significant ruling of the longstanding feud between the social media website, Reddit, Inc., and the founder of its notorious “WallStreetBets” subreddit community, Jaime Rogozinski, the...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Jurisdiction Affirmed: Trademark Ripples Reach US Shores

Addressing for the first time the issue of whether a foreign intellectual property holding company is subject to personal jurisdiction in the United States, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed a district...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Stylish but Generic: ‘VETEMENTS’ Can’t Dress Up as Trademark

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s refusal to register the mark VETEMENTS for clothing and related retail services, finding that the mark was generic under the...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Up in Smoke: Statutory Trademark Damages Can Exceed Actual Damages

Addressing a jury’s statutory damages award that surpassed the plaintiffs’ actual damages, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s denial of the defendant’s motion for judgment as a...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Damages on Default Judgment Not Barred by Absence of Precise Amount in Complaint

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded a district court decision, allowing collection of actual damages in a default judgment where the complaint only sought damages “in an amount to be determined...more

Stinson LLP

Penn State Victory Maintains Uneasy Status Quo in Sports Merchandising Industry

Stinson LLP on

Most major universities have developed extremely lucrative business empires by exploiting the use of their trademarks and trade dress on apparel and merchandise, among other things. They have done so on the theory that the...more

Harris Beach Murtha PLLC

Fourth Circuit Confirms: Physical Distance Does Not Avoid Trademark Confusion

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a decision confirming that using similar names for businesses in the same industry can result in a likelihood of confusion despite the physical distance of the entities. In...more

Irwin IP LLP

Your “Chicken Scratch” May Be Confusing 

Irwin IP LLP on

In Re R.S. Lipman Brewing Co., LLC, 2025 WL 1099603 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 14, 2025) - Be careful when selecting a name for your product, otherwise you might find yourself cooked at the United States Patent and Trademark Office...more

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Trademark Damages: Supreme Court Rejects Disgorgement of Non-Defendant Affiliate Profits

The United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Dewberry Engineers Inc. v. Dewberry Group, Inc. on Feb. 26, 2025, clarifying the scope of damages available under the Lanham Act in trademark infringement cases....more

McDermott Will & Schulte

When Analyzing Likelihood of Confusion, It’s Not Just Location, Location, Location

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated a district court’s decision finding no infringement that focused on only the geographic distance between the physical locations of the two users without considering the...more

Sunstein LLP

Supreme Court vacates $43 million trademark award for violating principle of corporate separateness in Dewberry Group

Sunstein LLP on

On February 26, 2025, in Dewberry Group v. Dewberry Engineers, the Supreme Court unanimously vacated a $43 million damages award for trademark infringement, ruling that the lower court improperly conflated the defendant with...more

Sunstein LLP

Bad Spaniels on Remand: Parody Provides an Escape from Infringement But Not From Dilution

Sunstein LLP on

The dispute at issue in Jack Daniel’s arises from a conflict between the well-known whiskey company and a dog toy company (VIP) regarding VIP’s unauthorized use of Jack Daniel’s trademarks and trade dress in connection with a...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

TTAB Sustains Opposition Based on Reputation Without Use in the United States

Ladas & Parry LLP on

TTAB sustains opposition based on reputation without use in the United States - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Legal updates: case law analysis and intelligence - The opponent, owner of Venezuelan company La Montserratina,...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

US Supreme Court: 'Defendant’s Profits' Are Limited to Named Defendants Under the Lanham Act

Under the Lanham Act, a plaintiff who prevails on a trademark infringement claim may be entitled to recover the “defendant’s profits” as damages. The Supreme Court in Dewberry Group, Inc. v. Dewberry Engineers Inc....more

Irwin IP LLP

Time To “Dew” It Again. 

Irwin IP LLP on

Dewberry Group, Inc., FKA Dewberry Capital Corp v. Dewberry Engineers Inc., No. 23-900, 604 U.S. (2025) - On February 26, 2025, the United States Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $43 million damages award arising out...more

McCarter & English, LLP

If You Want Damages for Trademark Infringement, Be Prepared to Do the Dew(berry)

Under federal trademark law, a winning trademark owner can seek a defendant’s profits from infringing use of the trademark. But just who is the “defendant” whose profits can be reached? Is it the corporate affiliate of the...more

237 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 10

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide