News & Analysis as of

Trademark Infringement Likelihood of Confusion Appeals

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 The Federal Circuit recently corked a non-precedential TTAB decision that ECHO D’ANGÉLUS was not confusingly similar to ECHO DE LYNCH BAGES, where both were used for wine,...more

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

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Federal Circuit Reverses Trademark Board: The KIST vs. SUNKIST Confusion

In Sunkist Growers, Inc. v. Interstate Distributors, Inc. (No. 24-1212), the Federal Circuit reversed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s decision dismissing Sunkist’s opposition to Interstate Distributor’s (IDI) attempt...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

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

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

McDermott Will & Schulte

RAW Confusion? No Error Where Trial Court Declines to Clarify Agreed Jury Instruction

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s jury verdict that found trade dress infringement and liability under state deceptive practices law, and the court’s order entering a nationwide...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

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

McDermott Will & Schulte

Lager Than Life: $56 Million Verdict in Beer Trademark Dispute Still on Tap

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a $56 million trial verdict in a trademark dispute, finding that the evidence supported the jury’s conclusion that a beer company’s rebranding of one its beers infringed a...more

Sunstein LLP

Wavy Baby Waves Goodbye to its Attempt at Humor

Sunstein LLP on

In August, Vans, a globally-known footwear and apparel company, and MSCHF, a Brooklyn-based art collective, settled their trademark and trade dress dispute, entering an agreement that permanently enjoins and restrains MSCHF...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Ghostly Misstep: No Confusion Means No Preliminary Injunction

In a trademark case involving an incontestable registration, the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed a district court ruling denying the registrant a preliminary injunction (PI) for failure to establish...more

A&O Shearman

Crowd control caution: how a crowded market may affect your trade mark protection

A&O Shearman on

The Court of Appeal has confirmed that the existence of a “crowded market” and any coexistence terms entered into by parties may be relevant factors in assessing likelihood of confusion. While the Lifestyle Equities v Royal...more

Erise IP

What’s Trending in Trademarks, October 2024: T.I., Tiny Win $71.5M Verdict for OMG Girlz, Second Circuit Holds Against 1-800...

Erise IP on

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: Third...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

David-Versus-Goliath Trademark Victory Isn’t “Exceptional”

The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated an award of attorneys’ fees for reanalysis, explaining that the district court’s finding that the case was “exceptional” under the Lanham Act was based on policy...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Smart Choice: Survey Design Didn’t Render Survey Unreliable

Underscoring its faith in a jury’s competency to use its “common sense and experience” in evaluating evidence, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court’s judgment in favor of the defendants in a...more

Erise IP

What’s Trending in Trademarks, March 2024: Chanel Reseller Found Liable for Trademark Infringement, False Advertising; Federal...

Erise IP on

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: Chanel...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Trader Joe’s Labor Union Bags a Victory in Trademark Dispute

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

Trader Joe’s is a hugely popular grocery chain that has expanded from its Southern California origins to operate close to 600 stores across the United States. Although Trader Joe’s has traditionally had a reputation as an...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Wavy Baby’s Shoes Not Entitled to Special First Amendment Protections

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

40 years ago, I was the new kid in 6th grade – truly a terrible age in a young girl’s life to try and “fit in” at a new elementary school in a small town. But, one of my best memories from that year was procuring my first...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Just How Similar Must Competing Marks Be to Survive Dismissal?

After a de novo review, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part a district court’s motion to dismiss, finding the competing marks sufficiently similar to avoid dismissal, and the...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Grubhub Relishes Victory Against Trademark Preliminary Injunction

Upholding the denial of a preliminary injunction motion in a trademark infringement dispute, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit concluded that the district court did not err in finding that the trademark owner...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Disgorgement of Profits Appropriate Remedy for Breach of Contract, Trademark Infringement

In a trademark infringement and breach of contract case involving real estate companies with a shared name, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of the trademark owner, including...more

Woods Rogers

What Barbenheimer Can Teach Us About Intellectual Property

Woods Rogers on

Barbenheimer is a new term for consecutively watching the movies “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.”  In honor thereof, we present the Barbenheimer Legal Alert. Did you know Mattel sued, and lost, to stop the “Barbie Girl” song?...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

All’s Well That Edwell: Two Markets Can Be Substantially Different if Defined Narrowly Enough

Despite evidence of actual confusion and seemingly similar services, the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld a district court’s noninfringement finding concerning two nearly identical education-related marks...more

66 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 3

"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