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Appeals Trademark Litigation

Knobbe Martens

3-2-1 Blast Off: US Space Force Trademark Dispute Aims for the Supreme Court

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The trademark attorney Thomas D. Foster has found himself in ongoing legal star wars to register US SPACE FORCE as his personal trademark covering coins, jewelry, watches, license plate holders, toys, and other everyday...more

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Hara v. Netflix, Inc.

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Ninth Circuit affirms dismissal of Lanham Act claims regarding use of drag queen Vicky Vox’s image and likeness in animated Netflix show and teaser trailer, holding, under Rogers test, that use was artistically relevant to...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Federal Circuit Finds Sua Sponte is Not a Good Vintage

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 The Federal Circuit recently corked a non-precedential TTAB decision that ECHO D’ANGÉLUS was not confusingly similar to ECHO DE LYNCH BAGES, where both were used for wine,...more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

Kissing cousins? SUNKIST and KIST deemed confusingly similar

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed a Trademark Trial & Appeal Board decision, concluding that there was a likelihood of confusion between the marks KIST and SUNKIST when used in connection with soft...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

Ladas & Parry LLP

Federal Circuit: it’s not easy being green for colour marks

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Legal updates: case law analysis and intelligence - - The TTAB, applying the Milwaukee test, rejected an application for a dark green colour mark for medical gloves on the ground that it was generic - The Federal Circuit...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

McDermott Will & Schulte

Victory lap: Extraterritorial injunction permitted for breach of settlement agreement

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a permanent injunction, concluding that the district court properly determined that a party’s violation of a settlement agreement would lead to irreparable harm. Wudi...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

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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

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

Knobbe Martens

The Federal Circuit Grounds US SPACE FORCE Trademark Application

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IN RE THOMAS D. FOSTER, APC, - Before Moore, Prost, and Stoll. Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act bars registration of a pending application for a mark that falsely...more

Knobbe Martens

Coloring Within the Lines: The Genericness Test for Color Trademarks

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IN RE: PT MEDISAFE TECHNOLOGIES - Before Prost, Clevenger, and Stark. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. A proposed color mark was found generic where the relevant public perceived the color to be a common...more

Knobbe Martens

Not Lost in Translation: Federal Circuit Clarifies Application of the Doctrine of Foreign Equivalents

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IN RE: VETEMENTS GROUP AG - Before Prost, Wallach, and Chen. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. A party opposing application of the doctrine of foreign equivalents has the burden to show that the ordinary...more

International Lawyers Network

Major Setback for Tiktok’s Trademark Rights in India

The Bombay High Court recently affirmed the order of the Registrar of Trade Marks whereby TikTok’s application for declaration of its mark as well-known in India was disallowed. Interestingly, this decision (by the Bombay...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

BakerHostetler

Federal Circuit Reverses TTAB Decision Based on Dissimilar House Marks

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On June 13, the Federal Circuit reversed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB or Board) nonprecedential decision finding no likelihood of confusion between opposer Château Lynch-Bages’ and applicant Château Angélus...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

New TTAB Precedent Prohibits Incorporation By Reference

In a precedential decision issued June 6, 2025, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) confirmed what has long been suggested in its procedural manual: Appellants in ex parte appeals may not incorporate arguments from...more

Mayer Brown

Lost in Translation: The Doctrine of Foreign Equivalents in Trademark Law

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In this episode of The Upper Brand, Kristine Young and Rich Assmus discuss the recent Federal Circuit case regarding the doctrine of foreign equivalents in trademark law. They explore the concepts of descriptiveness and...more

ArentFox Schiff

EUIPO Rejects Thom Browne’s Four-Stripe Design Mark as Decorative, Not Distinctive

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The European Union (EU) Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has refused to register Thom Browne’s position trademark consisting of four horizontal white stripes placed on the upper left sleeve of garments....more

McDermott Will & Schulte

No Fairytale Ending for Consumer Opposition: RAPUNZEL Reinforces Lexmark Standing Limits

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s dismissal of a trademark opposition brought by a consumer, holding that mere consumer interest is insufficient to establish...more

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