News & Analysis as of

Trademark Litigation Precedential Opinion Trademark Trial and Appeal Board

Fish & Richardson

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

Fish & Richardson on

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

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

New TTAB Precedent Prohibits Incorporation By Reference

In a precedential decision issued June 6, 2025, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) confirmed what has long been suggested in its procedural manual: Appellants in ex parte appeals may not incorporate arguments from...more

Fish & Richardson

No Space at the Trademark Office for US SPACE FORCE

Fish & Richardson on

In a rare precedential decision involving Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently upheld a denial by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of applications filed for US...more

Fish & Richardson

Trademark Owners May Play Only Zone Defense at the TTAB

Fish & Richardson on

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

Fish & Richardson

USPTO Kicks “Hijacker” of Foreign Trademark Out the Door

Fish & Richardson on

When, if ever, is it okay to use a trademark in U.S. commerce that is identical to another company’s mark used outside the U.S.? Courts have struggled with this issue for years, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office...more

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

MarkIt to Market® - March 2024: Piling Up Successes by Avoiding Descriptive Dangers

Joining a series of precedential decisions about descriptiveness, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board recently affirmed a refusal to register Sheet Pile, LLC’s (“Applicant”) mark ZPILE on the Principal Register, on the...more

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

MarkIt to Market® - April 2020: Color Marks for Product Packaging CAN Be Inherently Distinctive - What This Means for Your Brand...

Earlier this month, the Federal Circuit issued a precedential ruling on the question of whether a color mark for product packaging can ever be inherently distinctive, holding that the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB)...more

Mintz - Intellectual Property Viewpoints

Adding Initials to a Surname Does Not Necessarily Create a Protected Trademark

In a recent precedential decision, the TTAB held that the addition of one initial —or possibly even more than one initial—in front of a surname does not necessarily create the impression of a personal name. Rather, the Board...more

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

MarkIt® to Market - April 2019: What’s The Point (Of Sale Display)?

On April 10, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit redesignated as precedential its January 14, 2019 decision upholding the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB) decision affirming refusal of...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

USPTO Throws in the Towel in Dispute With Federal Judge

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

In an earlier post, we discussed at length the curious case of The Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama and Paul W. Bryant, Jr. v. Houndstooth Mafia Enterprises LLC et al. Surprisingly, this dispute came to an...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Who Should Own a Trademark Registration? The Case of the Not-So-Related Parent Company

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

A recent precedential Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision provides valuable guidance on the proper allocation of trademark registration ownership as between a corporate parent and a subsidiary, highlighting the perils...more

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