In a precedential decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently blessed the test used by the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) for denying registration to PT Medisafe Technologies for a...more
Addressing for the first time the test for determining whether a color mark is generic, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit adopted the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s Milwaukee test as the appropriate standard,...more
In refusing registration of the color green for “chloroprene medical examination gloves,” the Federal Circuit adopted — for the first time — a legal test for genericness of color marks. The decision underscores the high...more
To be eligible for trademark registration, a color must have acquired distinctiveness and must not be functional. Recently, the Federal Circuit discussed the importance that a color mark not be functional. ...more
Every month, Erise’s trademark attorneys review the latest developments at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in the courts, and across the corporate world to bring you the stories that you should know about: Fruity...more
[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Joseph Diorio, Law Clerk] The January 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses: a recent non-precedential TTAB decision on background designs; the Trademark Modernization Act;...more
Reviewing a decision from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the Federal Circuit vacated and remanded the Board’s refusal to register a trademark consisting of a gradient...more
Relying on Supreme Court precedent, the Federal Circuit overturned the USPTO’s refusal to register a multi-color trademark for product packaging, holding that color marks can be inherently distinctive depending upon the...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently ruled that color marks can be inherently distinctive when applied to product packaging trade dress. The CAFC upends a long-held understanding that color marks can never...more
Earlier this month, Pantone announced that its color for year 2020 is PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue. Pantone describes Classic Blue as a timeless hue, one that is evocative of the sky at dusk, bringing “a sense of peace and...more
Brewers can protect the uniqueness of their brands of brew and brewery names by filing for federal registration of their trademarks. Here are a few things about the process that are good to know...more
The Board Has Power to Restrict the Scope of a Color Registration - Covidien sought to register a mark that consists of “the color pink (Pantone PMS 806)” as applied to medical connectors and lead wires for use with...more