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Trademark Registration Trademark Litigation

International Lawyers Network

Global Giants vs. Local Legends: The Fanatics v FanFirm IP Battle Unpacked

Fanatics, LLC v FanFirm Pty Ltd [2025] FCAFC 87 - The Full Federal Court of Australia has passed judgment on a clash between local sports merchandiser, FanFirm Pty Limited, and a global opponent, Fanatics, LLC in a case about...more

DarrowEverett LLP

Trademark Rights Explained: Common Law vs. Federal Registration

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Whether a business is launching a new product or rebranding an existing company, selecting a name, logo, or slogan is a crucial decision. Trademarks are powerful tools that identify the source of goods or services and protect...more

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

Jaburg Wilk

Maintaining and Protecting Your Trademark Rights After Registration

Jaburg Wilk on

Securing a federal trademark registration is a major milestone—but it is not the end of the journey. To keep your rights strong and enforceable, you need to maintain the registration and actively protect the mark in the...more

Mayer Brown

Key Court Decisions: Functional and Generic Trademarks

Mayer Brown on

In this episode of The Upper Brand, Richard Assmus, Kristine Young, and Christa Cole delve into key court cases that have shaped trademark law. They explore the intricacies of functional and generic trademarks, with insights...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

Common Trademark Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

Jaburg Wilk on

Registering and protecting a trademark involves more than just filing paperwork. Many businesses make costly errors that could lead to rejection, enforcement issues, or even the loss of rights. Here are some of the most...more

Jaburg Wilk

The Trademark Registration Process: Step-by-Step Guide

Jaburg Wilk on

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

Morgan Lewis

EU General Court Affirms English Trade Marks Must Pass A1–A2 Bar

Morgan Lewis on

In Karneolis LTD v. EU Intellectual Property Office and Match Group LLC,[1] the EU General Court ruled in favour of Match Group LLC, the dating app conglomerate that owns and operates, among others, Tinder, Hinge, and...more

Volpe Koenig

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

Volpe Koenig on

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

International Lawyers Network

Can Non-English Language Trademarks Be Refused Registration Based on the Foreign Equivalents Doctrine?

Suppose that you want to register your trademark that is in a non-English language on goods or services for your business in the United States. Will your non-English language trademark need to be translated to English to...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag, and it Might be Infringing – Cannabis Companies Clash Over Trademarks for Storage Bags

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

IP cases in the cannabis industry are lighting up court dockets more and more. In a new case with potential for serious baggage, Kinzie Advanced Polymers, LLC (“Kinzie”) filed a federal lawsuit against a group of...more

Knobbe Martens

The Federal Circuit Grounds US SPACE FORCE Trademark Application

Knobbe Martens on

IN RE THOMAS D. FOSTER, APC, - Before Moore, Prost, and Stoll. Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act bars registration of a pending application for a mark that falsely...more

Baker Donelson

Trademark Trouble: When the F-Word Fails to Function

Baker Donelson on

Recent Supreme Court decisions underscore how viewpoint-based refusals of trademark applications are unconstitutional. But can these viewpoint-based refusals survive under the "failure-to-function" doctrine instead?...more

Vondran Legal

Can You Register and Sell Trademarks Without Business Goodwill Attached? Short Answer, Probably Not.

Vondran Legal on

Legal Issue: Some people think you can just sell a trademark for profit. Sometimes these are called trademark farms where people will register a trademark only to sell it. Another situation arises where a company is...more

International Lawyers Network

Uber’s Opposition Fails the Grade in Tutors Trade Mark Dispute

The Australian Trade Marks Office has permitted the registration of the trade mark UBER TUTORS after finding that transport and delivery giant, Uber Technologies Inc (Uber Tech) failed to oppose the mark’s registration under...more

Knobbe Martens

Not Lost in Translation: Federal Circuit Clarifies Application of the Doctrine of Foreign Equivalents

Knobbe Martens on

IN RE: VETEMENTS GROUP AG - Before Prost, Wallach, and Chen. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. A party opposing application of the doctrine of foreign equivalents has the burden to show that the ordinary...more

Smart & Biggar

What the Canuck?! Understanding scandalous, obscene and immoral marks in Canada

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“Scandalous, obscene or immoral” trademarks are not only unregistrable in Canada, but they are also unlawful to adopt in connection with a business “as a trademark or otherwise.” While similar prohibitions have been deemed...more

Fish & Richardson

Green Glove Trademark Application Gets Red Light From Federal Circuit

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In a precedential decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently blessed the test used by the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) for denying registration to PT Medisafe Technologies for a...more

Alston & Bird

Intellectual Property Litigation Newsletter | June 2025

Alston & Bird on

Welcome to the Intellectual Property Litigation Newsletter, our review of decisions and trends in the intellectual property arena. In this edition, we learn that unilateral assertion is not industry standard, the IPR...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

Mayer Brown

Lost in Translation: The Doctrine of Foreign Equivalents in Trademark Law

Mayer Brown on

In this episode of The Upper Brand, Kristine Young and Rich Assmus discuss the recent Federal Circuit case regarding the doctrine of foreign equivalents in trademark law. They explore the concepts of descriptiveness and...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

What's In a Name?: The Legal Landscape of Choosing Surnames as Trademarks

As noted in the linked article, many iconic brands, including Ford, Harley-Davidson, and JC Penney (yes, he was real), bear the surnames of their founders. These names often lend a sense of authenticity or legacy that...more

ArentFox Schiff

EUIPO Rejects Thom Browne’s Four-Stripe Design Mark as Decorative, Not Distinctive

ArentFox Schiff on

The European Union (EU) Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has refused to register Thom Browne’s position trademark consisting of four horizontal white stripes placed on the upper left sleeve of garments....more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Stylish but Generic: ‘VETEMENTS’ Can’t Dress Up as Trademark

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s refusal to register the mark VETEMENTS for clothing and related retail services, finding that the mark was generic under the...more

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