The Briefing: Trademark Basics - Protecting Names, Logos, and Brands in Entertainment
The Rise of OTAs in Defense Contracting: Opportunities, Risks, and What Contractors Need to Know
Money-Saving Licensing Tips for Startups
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
A Counterintuitive Approach to Winning Without Litigation: One-on-One with Haley Morrison
SkadBytes Podcast | Tech’s Shifting Landscape: Five Trends Shaping the Conversation
Tips for Conducting a Trade Secret Assessment with Rob Jensen
Will I Get Sued if I Create Another Hospital Drama? — No Infringement Intended Podcast
Essential Steps to Sell Your Business
Mickey Mouse: un ratón con abogado
(Podcast) The Briefing: The Ninth Circuit Puts the Brakes on Eleanor’s Copyright Claim
The Briefing: The Ninth Circuit Puts the Brakes on Eleanor’s Copyright Claim
Unexpected Paths to IP Law with Dan Young and Colin White
Why Can't I Clean the Graffiti Off My Walls? — No Infringement Intended Podcast
(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: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - NCAA Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) Update – Effects of House Settlement
How IP Can Fuel Your Startup's Growth
A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or design—or a combination of these—that identifies and distinguishes the source of goods or services of one party from those of others. Essentially, a trademark is your brand’s identity...more
The Dorsey Trademark, Copyright + Advertising team is back from the 2025 International Trademark Association Meeting. It was one for the books. We mixed and mingled with old and new colleagues and as well as our friends from...more
Trademarks serve as the cornerstone of brand identity, distinguishing the goods and services of one enterprise from those of another. Trademarks are not just legal tools: they are critical assets. They encapsulate the...more
In the world of trademarks, specimens of use (or proof of use) play a crucial role in obtaining and maintaining a trademark registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). In this blog post, we’ll...more
While many brand owners are generally aware of and work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to record trademark and copyright registrations and help with seizures, fewer may understand the role of the National...more
Welcome to the March 2024 issue of Sterne Kessler’s MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the IPR Center’s efforts to stop global IP theft and address counterfeiting on both home and foreign turf; a recent TTAB...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
One of the signs of a healthy trademark is a certain level of distinctiveness. Distinctiveness is related to consumers’ love and recognition of a mark as an indicator of a product’s source, such that consumers trust the mark...more
Thank you for reading the July 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we continue our three-part series that closely examines ways to lose trademark rights with a discussion of genericide. We...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
As technology and the physical lives of consumers continue to converge, businesses active in metaverse and blockchain technologies will need to think about how their brands and source identifiers might evolve or change...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
The U.S. Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO) has experienced a significant rise in the number of trademark applications to protect goods and/or services in a virtual sphere. These primarily include applications related to...more
Tucked into last December’s stimulus and relief package were critical reforms in intellectual property law, designed to empower trademark and copyright owners by providing stronger enforcement tools. The Trademark...more
At a Glance - Even though the Supreme Court has paved the way for brands to register trademarks that may be considered disparaging, immoral, or scandalous, brand owners are reversing themselves and voluntarily changing....more
The Los Angeles area is home to iconic food innovators, family-run restaurants of every ethnic stripe, and competition-winning restaurateurs. A successful restaurant or food and beverage company is also a business enterprise...more
The last year has seen urgent discussions concerning racism, discrimination, police violence, inequality, and social justice come to the forefront of life in the United States. Corporate America – and its brands – responded...more
It has been two years since the federal “Farm Bill” removed hemp from the definition of marijuana, rendering cannabis plants and derivatives (such as CBD derived from hemp) that contain no more than 0.3% of THC on a...more
Have you ever been to an indoor cycling class? If so, you most likely have heard the term “spin class,” or referred to the act itself as “spinning.” Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc. would take offense, however, calling such uses...more
Pursuing the registration of a federal trademark or service mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) is among one of the most advantageous and essential first steps for any new business owner. ...more
How important is reputation in your line of work? What is it worth? Does it matter that others associate your company with consistently high-quality goods or services? That your company represents a strong value-add...more
The Federal Circuit in In re JC Hospitality LLC recently affirmed the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s refusal to register the service mark THE JOINT for a venue offering...more
This article discusses the global developments for the registration of cannabis and cannabis-related trademarks in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the European Union....more
Before you begin selling your products on a U.S. online marketplace like Amazon, Etsy or Rakuten, there are three intellectual property considerations to make: clearance, acquisition and enforcement. This article provides a...more