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Trademark Litigation Goods or Services

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

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

Jaburg Wilk

The Trademark Registration Process: Step-by-Step Guide

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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

Volpe Koenig

From Radio Stunt to Licensing Asset: What Wing Bowl Teaches Us About Trademark Value

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What’s in a name? For Philadelphians (and young men of a particular era) “Wing Bowl” conjures up zany images from the 1993-2018 annual early morning chicken wing eating competition including scantily clad women, radio...more

Fish & Richardson

Trademark Application for French “Clothing” Unravels at the Federal Circuit

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The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently affirmed a denial by the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of an application filed by fashion house Vetements Group AG for VETEMENTS for various articles of...more

Fish & Richardson

Lack of Bona Fide Intent to Use Sends Alcohol Trademark Application Down the Drain

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In a recent precedential decision, the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) upheld an opposition by Tequila Cuadra S. de RL de CV (“Tequila Cuadra”) and denied an application filed by Manufacturera de Botas Cuadra,...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, I’m a What Kind of Kid?  Toys R Us Takes on Vape R Us in Trademark Battle

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I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a TOYS R US kid. So, many of us grew up with this commercial jingle and it along with the brand brings back positive memories of celebrating birthdays and holidays. But what happens when a company...more

Weintraub Tobin

(Podcast) The Briefing: Trademark Smoked: The Fall of General Cigar’s COHIBA Registration

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After nearly 30 years of litigation, a federal court has canceled General Cigar’s U.S. trademarks for COHIBA cigars — all because of a little-known treaty and a Cuban brand once favored by Fidel Castro. What does this mean...more

Weintraub Tobin

The Briefing: Trademark Smoked: The Fall of General Cigar’s COHIBA Registration

Weintraub Tobin on

After nearly 30 years of litigation, a federal court has canceled General Cigar’s U.S. trademarks for COHIBA cigars — all because of a little-known treaty and a Cuban brand once favored by Fidel Castro. What does this mean...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

When Surfboards and Superstars Collide: How to Avoid a Wipeout [or Mayhem]

Pop icon Lady Gaga is no stranger to making waves, but a new lawsuit initiated by California-based surfboard company Lost International (aka Lost Surfboards), shows that even superstars can find themselves navigating choppy...more

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

First Sale Doctrine Limitations: Key Trademark Law Considerations for Businesses

Third-party infringers are finding new ways to sell unauthorized products and profit from doing so.  As one example, the third-party seller buys products in bulk from the product owner, receiving a cheaper rate due to bulk...more

Mayer Brown

Non-Traditional Trademarks

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In the debut episode of The Upper Brand podcast, Mayer Brown attorneys Richard Assmus, Kristine Young, and Christa Cole delve into the evolving world of non-traditional trademarks—covering everything from colors and scents to...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

With Trademark Claims Against Gray Market Goods, the Devil Is in the Details

When a third party purchases a manufacturer's goods intended for distribution outside of the U.S., and then imports those goods into and sells them to consumers in the U.S., the products are authentic, and so trademark...more

Stinson LLP

Penn State Victory Maintains Uneasy Status Quo in Sports Merchandising Industry

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Most major universities have developed extremely lucrative business empires by exploiting the use of their trademarks and trade dress on apparel and merchandise, among other things. They have done so on the theory that the...more

Irwin IP LLP

Finding The Right Fit: The Test for Color Marks 

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In Re: PT Medisafe Technologies, No. 2023-1573 (Fed. Cir. April 29, 2025) - On April 29, 2025, the Federal Circuit adopted a test from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) for determining whether a color mark is...more

Jones Day

Gloves Off: Court Says No to Green Trademark Protection

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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that the test for determining whether a word mark is generic also applies to color marks....more

Weintraub Tobin

(Podcast) The Briefing: Trademark Mayhem – Lady Gaga Gets Sued for Trademark Infringement

Weintraub Tobin on

Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” tour has sparked legal trouble. In this episode of The Briefing, Scott Hervey and James Kachmar analyze a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by surf brand, Lost International, which claims Gaga’s use of...more

Weintraub Tobin

The Briefing: Trademark Mayhem – Lady Gaga Gets Sued for Trademark Infringement

Weintraub Tobin on

Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” tour has sparked legal trouble. In this episode of The Briefing, Scott Hervey and James Kachmar analyze a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by surf brand, Lost International, which claims Gaga’s use of...more

Erise IP

The Surge of Gulf of America Trademarks: A Unique Legal Landscape of Opportunities and Hurdles

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Since the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has seen a surge in trademark applications for the phrase. Seventeen new applications have been filed...more

International Lawyers Network

Beauty is in the Eye…Lash Extension: Beauty Salon’s Actions to Remove Two Trade Marks Dismissed by the Australian Trade Marks...

A recent trade mark stoush in the eyelash extension market highlights the importance of registering trade marks in all states of Australia, and ensuring that trade marks that intend to be used are registered as soon as...more

Fish & Richardson

Trademark Owners May Play Only Zone Defense at the TTAB

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In a precedential decision invoking the “zone of natural expansion” doctrine, on March 19, 2025, the Federal Circuit upheld a decision by the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) cancelling in part registrations for...more

Offit Kurman

Trademark Registration Misconceptions: What Brand Owners Should Know

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Many business owners view trademark registration as a smart investment—and they’re right. A federal registration gives you valuable legal advantages, including nationwide priority, a presumption of ownership, and stronger...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Equity Is Neither a “Good” Nor a “Service” Under Lanham Act

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court’s decision that, in terms of trademark use in commerce, corporate equity is not a “good” or “service” under the Lanham Act. LegalForce RAPC Worldwide, PC...more

Jones Day

SkyKick v Sky: UK Supreme Court Confronts Bad Faith in Trade Mark Applications

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The UK Supreme Court has issued a landmark judgment dealing with specific bad faith considerations for trade marks....more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Battle of the Bay: It’s Oakland Airport, Not San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport

The US District Court for the Northern District of California granted the city and county of San Francisco a preliminary injunction enjoining the Port of Oakland from using the name or trademark “San Francisco Bay Oakland...more

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