(Podcast) The Briefing: Trademark Basics – Protecting Names, Logos, and Brands in Entertainment
The Briefing: Trademark Basics - Protecting Names, Logos, and Brands in Entertainment
Want to use a positioning cheat code? Try "early bird" thought leadership.
Daily Compliance News: July 29, 2025 the Is CEO Conduct Ever Personal Edition
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - Cease and Desist Letters: Protecting Your Intellectual Property the Right Way
PODCAST: PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - Cease and Desist Letters: Protecting Your Intellectual Property the Right Way
You should be talking about philosophies—not just tactics—in your thought leadership
Mickey Mouse: un ratón con abogado
The Briefing: The Ninth Circuit Puts the Brakes on Eleanor’s Copyright Claim
(Podcast) The Briefing: Who Owns Jack Nicklaus? Lessons for The Creator Economy From a Brand Battle
The Briefing: Who Owns Jack Nicklaus? Lessons for The Creator Economy From a Brand Battle
(Podcast) The Briefing: Trademark Smoked: The Fall of General Cigar’s COHIBA Registration
The Briefing: Trademark Smoked: The Fall of General Cigar’s COHIBA Registration
(Podcast) The Briefing: When a TikTok Costs You $150,000 - Copyright Pitfalls in Influencer Marketing
The Briefing: When a TikTok Costs You $150,000 - Copyright Pitfalls in Influencer Marketing
(Podcast) The Briefing: Influencer Fail – ALO Yoga & Influencers Named in $150M Class Action Lawsuit for FTC Violations
The Briefing: Trademark Mayhem – Lady Gaga Gets Sued for Trademark Infringement
What Were the Cooler Wars? (Part 1) — No Infringement Intended Podcast
The Briefing: The Stanley Cup Clash - A Trademark Battle (Podcast)
The Briefing: The Stanley Cup Clash - A Trademark Battle
Amazon is the biggest third-party online marketplace in the United States and a go-to platform for numerous businesses. However, to get the most out of selling on Amazon, it is essential to join the Amazon Brand Registry....more
Registering a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) provides significant legal benefits, including nationwide protection and the presumption of ownership. Federal registration is a smart investment for...more
Keen sports observers sometimes use trademark applications to try to identify the names and locations of potential expansion teams that may be coming to sports leagues. Recent trademark applications by the WNBA and National...more
As noted in the linked article, many iconic brands, including Ford, Harley-Davidson, and JC Penney (yes, he was real), bear the surnames of their founders. These names often lend a sense of authenticity or legacy that...more
Identical trademarks can coexist, as the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board once again emphasized when it overturned the refusal of a COMPASSION IN ACTION mark. ...more
Your nonprofit's name, logo, and slogans are more than just branding—they're valuable assets that should be protected and strengthened. Taking the right trademark steps can prevent legal issues, maintain your brand's...more
Taylor Swift’s upcoming trademark deadline has sparked speculation that she is gearing up to release Reputation (Taylor’s Version). In February 2021, Swift’s legal team filed an intent-to-use (ITU) trademark application for...more
As my colleague Puya Partow-Navid recently wrote, popular or viral phrases in the sports world are often the subjects of trademark registrations. Women’s sports are no exception. 2024 was a banner year for women’s sports,...more
Brands are taking over the produce aisle at the grocery store. They have already conquered the cereal aisle, the soda aisle, the chips aisle, and the cookie aisle (my favorite). While there have always been produce brands...more
I distinctly remember purchasing the Superman/Spiderman team-up when it came out in 1981. It was an oversized comic book, with heavier than usual pages and a vibrant color scheme, and that made it perfect for laying it out on...more
Not everything can be protected as a trademark. Certain types of material are specifically excluded from trademark protection under U.S. law. As a startup founder, it’s crucial to understand what cannot be registered as a...more
In trademark law, the concept of distinctiveness is central to protecting your brand and ensuring it stands out in the marketplace. Understanding the levels of trademark distinctiveness can help startup founders make informed...more
As you dive into the world of trademarks to protect your brand, one element you will encounter during the registration process with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the “specimen of use.” Understanding this...more
The Ninth Circuit issued two opinions in BBK Tobacco & Foods LLP v. Central Coast Agriculture, Inc. finding judicial power over pending trademark applications and an exception shielding trademark registrations for marks used...more
Based on recent events, it seems likely marijuana will be rescheduled under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) sometime this year. While many industry experts have discussed the impacts in recent months, many questions still...more
Republic Technologies (NA) LLC (“Republic”) filed an application to register the proposed mark 4:20 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). Republic amended its goods twice during prosecution of the...more
October seems to be the inescapable Taylor Swift’s unofficial month of choice – 17 years after she released her self-titled first album in October 2006, the October 2023 news cycle is buzzing about her “Taylor Swift: The Eras...more
Thank you for reading the October 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the Federal Circuit’s recent case considering the scope of the USPTO’s authority to cancel registrations...more
The small blue bird adorning nearly every company’s social media section. The verbiage “tweet” and “retweet” working their way into the fabric of modern language. The creation of character-limited, short-form posts as a new...more
Trademarks help brand owners build and communicate their brand’s reputation and value with the relevant public. Once that valuable goodwill is linked between a mark and the owner’s products and services, trademark owners can...more
Congratulations! Your company just acquired a batch of trademarks from a third party. There are a lot of minutiae to manage, so how do you decide what to do first? Here are some suggestions for actions you may want to...more
The trademark THE has just been registered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) to The Ohio State University (“OSU”) for t-shirts, ballcaps, and hats. Yikes! What does this mean for others wanting to...more
“How long does it take to register a trademark?” This is a common question from brand owners, and an important one. After all, registering a trademark is a significant step in protecting a brand....more
What's in a name? Beer names can be funny, creative, and whimsical. But with the growing popularity of craft brewing, it's becoming increasingly difficult to come up with a name that isn't already taken. In Part 1 of...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