News & Analysis as of

Trademark Registration Trademark Application Trademark Trial and Appeal Board

Knobbe Martens

Sunkist Squeezes Out a Win and Kisses Kist Goodbye!

Knobbe Martens on

SUNKIST GROWERS, INC. v. INTRASTATE DISTRIBUTORS, INC. - Before Prost, Taranto, and Stark.  Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. The TTAB incorrectly found that similar trademarks created distinct commercial...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

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Trademark Applications Filed on an Intent-To-Use Basis Can Be Vulnerable To Challenge

In filing to register a trademark on an “intent-to-use” basis, the applicant must verify that it has a good faith “bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce.” 15 U.S.C. § 1051(b). Assuming there is nothing on the face...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

McDermott Will & Schulte

No Green Light to Register Color Mark for Medical Gloves

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

ArentFox Schiff

It’s Not Easy Being Green (If You Are a Color Trademark for Medical Gloves)

ArentFox Schiff on

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

Fish & Richardson

TTAB Puts Pool Hall Behind the 8 Ball

Fish & Richardson on

On March 20, 2025, the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) granted an opposition filed by Jack’s Family Restaurants, LP, and denied an application filed by Jack’s Grill and Billiards, Inc., to register JACK’S...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

TTAB Sustains Opposition Based on Reputation Without Use in the United States

Ladas & Parry LLP on

TTAB sustains opposition based on reputation without use in the United States - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Legal updates: case law analysis and intelligence - The opponent, owner of Venezuelan company La Montserratina,...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Compassion in Registration: A Lesson in Filing Narrow Trademark Applications

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Identical trademarks can coexist, as the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board once again emphasized when it overturned the refusal of a COMPASSION IN ACTION mark. ...more

Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

Trademark Practice Considerations Following the USPTO 2025 Fee Increases

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) could see fewer trademark applications filed in numerous Classes with lengthy descriptions of goods and services as a result of an increase in trademark fees and new surcharges...more

Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP

Fee Increases for Trademark Applications and Maintenance Effective January 18, 2025

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has finalized new fees for trademark applications and renewals. These fee increases vary by type of submission, but these changes may impact strategic considerations for trademark...more

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

Beams of Light Fail to Strike a Chord with the Board

The Guitar Hotel in Hollywood, Florida is a hotel in the shape of the body of a guitar, with six lit-up “strings” running vertically up the surface of the building. At 7 pm daily, the hotel conducts a music and light show...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

TTAB favours Airbnb in opposition against competitor TREEBNB mark

Ladas & Parry LLP on

In Airbnb Inc v Seth Bolt and Victoria Bolt, the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board (TTAB) ruled in favour of opposer Airbnb Inc., against applicants Seth and Victoria Bolt. The board’s decision was influenced by, among other...more

Haug Partners LLP

TTAB Decision Highlights The Importance of Accurately Describing Goods and Services In Trademark Applications

Haug Partners LLP on

Recently, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (the “TTAB”) affirmed the decision to cancel Registration Nos. 5,376,467 and 5,376,466, for the marks SMARTLOCK and SMARTLOCK with design (the “Smartlock Marks”), in the name of...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Marvel and DC Lose “Super Hero” Trademark Registration

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has canceled long-standing trademark registrations for “Super Hero” and “Super Heroes,” which had been previously jointly owned by Marvel and DC Comics....more

Baker Donelson

Baker's Trademark Developments of 2024

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2024 has been a busy year in all intellectual property. It has been especially busy in trademark law. Here are the top seven cases in trademark law to date....more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

A Very Demure and Very Mindful Look at What Celebrities Can Teach Us About Trademarks

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

What do a social media content creator and reality television stars have in common? Apart from more followers than I’ll ever have, significant issues regarding their trademarks. Jools Lebron, a content creator, was...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Cognac Scores a Win for Certification Marks

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Cognac, which originates from a specific region of France and is named after the commune of Cognac, is far more popular outside its native country. Indeed, according to the industry group Bureau National Interprofessional du...more

Weintraub Tobin

(Podcast) The Briefing: Thirsty for Clarity – Brand Confusion In The Beverage Category

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The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board often consider wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages related when determining the likelihood of confusion despite there being no per se rule on the matter. Scott Hervey and Jamie...more

Weintraub Tobin

The Briefing: Thirsty for Clarity – Brand Confusion In The Beverage Category

Weintraub Tobin on

The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board often consider wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages related when determining the likelihood of confusion despite there being no per se rule on the matter. Scott Hervey and Jamie...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Recipe for Rejection: Trademark Application Burnt by Specimen Flaws

The Trademark Trial & Appeal Board issued a precedential decision affirming a refusal to register a mark because there was no direct association between the specimen and the applied-for services. In re Gail Weiss, Serial No....more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

New Ruling Expands Trademark Owners’ Rights in Retail Space

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Trademark lawyers are often asked: “What’s the difference between a trademark and a service mark?” In general, a trademark refers to a brand name used in connection with goods, while a service mark is one that is used in...more

Erise IP

What’s Trending in Trademarks, July 2024: Suit Against Prime Hydration Puts Unique Olympic Trademark Law on Display; Are Two...

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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: Suit...more

Womble Bond Dickinson

Trademark Insights: What the First Precedential TTAB Expungement Decision Means for You

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As a trademark applicant, encountering a prior registration that obstructs your path to registration is never a pleasant experience (nor for your attorneys who have to inform you about it). The frustration only intensifies...more

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

MarkIt to Market® – June 2024: Home Is Where the Domicile Address Requirement Is

In 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) introduced Trademark Rule 2.189 (37 CFR § 2.189) as part of its larger efforts to combat fraudulent filings and unauthorized practices. Under the rule, all...more

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