News & Analysis as of

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 The Federal Circuit recently corked a non-precedential TTAB decision that ECHO D’ANGÉLUS was not confusingly similar to ECHO DE LYNCH BAGES, where both were used for wine,...more

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

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

Knobbe Martens

Fireball Frenzy: When First Registering a Mark, Genericness of a Mark Is Determined at the Time of Registration

Knobbe Martens on

BULLSHINE DISTILLERY LLC v. SAZERAC BRANDS, LLC - Before Moore, Reyna and Taranto. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In assessing genericness, the TTAB considers how the mark was understood at the time of...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Opposers Beware: Your Own Mark May Not Be Protectable

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s dismissal of an opposition to the registration of the marks IVOTERS and IVOTERS.COM while also noting that the US Patent &...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Zone of Natural Expansion Is a Shield, Not a Sword

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a Trademark Trial & Appeal Board decision to partially cancel trademarks, ruling that an opposition challenger could not use the zone of natural expansion doctrine to...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

No Bull: Historically Generic Term Can Become Non-Generic

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed Trademark Trial & Appeal Board rulings, finding that a previously generic term was not generic at the time registration was sought because at that time the mark, as...more

Holland & Knight LLP

COGNAC, Hip Hop and Fame: A Trademark Showdown with a Twist

Holland & Knight LLP on

You might be wondering what cognac, hip-hop and fame have in common. The answer, at least in a recent opinion by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, is certification trademarks. We have written in the past...more

Erise IP

What’s Trending in Trademarks, August 2024: What Constitutes an Abandoned Mark? How Famous is Cognac?

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: Fourth...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Unbranded Brandy: COGNAC Certification Mark Matters, Even in Hip-Hop

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated a ruling from the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board, disagreeing with the Board’s dismissal of Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac’s opposition to a trademark...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Certification Marks and Fame

Trademark owners have the right to stop third parties from using marks that could cause a likelihood of consumer confusion. Third-party use of a trademark that is the same or similar to the owner's trademark for goods related...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

McDermott Will & Schulte

Trademark Trial & Appeal Board Gets a DuPont 101 Lesson

Addressing errors in the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s likelihood of confusion analysis in a cancellation action, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated and remanded, holding that the Board erred by...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

SHAZAM! CAPTAIN CANNABIS Registration Defeated by Prior Analogous Trademark Use

Addressing the issue of analogous trademark use, the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board designated precedential a September 6, 2022, decision in which the Board cancelled a registration for CAPTAIN CANNABIS based on the...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

If at First You DuPont Succeed, Try a Different Factor

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit remanded a Trademark Trial & Appeal Board decision, finding that the Board incorrectly analyzed several DuPont factors, improperly disregarded the DuPont factor regarding...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

No Spark Here: TTAB Refuses to Register Similar Mark for Real Estate Services

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s refusal to register a mark due to the “close similarity” between the applied-for mark and a previously registered mark. In Re:...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Actual or Potential Consumers in Related Goods Context Doesn’t Require PURE Overlap

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reminded us that, in the context of related goods, the likelihood of confusion analysis does not require that actual or potential consumers of the goods be the same, but only...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Drink Up, but Not with Lehman Brand

In the context of an opposition proceeding, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a Trademark Trial & Appeal Board (Board) refusal to register a trademark based on likelihood of confusion with a famous but...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Standing Challenge Brews Trouble in Trademark Dispute

Addressing for the first time Article III standing in a trademark case, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that hypothetical future injury is insufficient to establish standing to oppose a trademark...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

What's Cookin'? No Likelihood of Confusion Between Two KITCHEN Marks

Addressing the assessment and application of the DuPont likelihood of confusion factors, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s finding of no likelihood of confusion...more

Knobbe Martens

No Kitchen Confusion: When Comparing Marks, the Trademark Board Can Give Less Weight to Shared Terms if the Terms Are Suggestive...

Knobbe Martens on

QUIKTRIP WEST, INC. V. WEIGEL STORES, INC. Before Lourie, O’Malley, and Reyna. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Summary: When comparing marks under the Dupont factors, the Board may give less weight to...more

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets

A Cautionary Tale of Waiver!

The Federal Circuit upheld a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) decision refusing registration of an athletic apparel company’s trademark, holding that the trademark applicant waived its key arguments by not raising...more

Knobbe Martens

Where's the Beef? Establishing Fame in Trademark Disputes

Knobbe Martens on

A decision from the Federal Circuit clarified how the USPTO should analyze evidence of fame under the fifth DuPont factor. The decision sheds light on how fashion brands can establish that their marks are famous through...more

Knobbe Martens

Absent Exceptional Circumstances, a Party Cannot Raise New Issues on Appeal

Knobbe Martens on

HYLETE LLC v. HYBRID ATHLETICS, LLC - Before Moore, Reyna, and Wallach. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Summary: Absent exceptional circumstances, an argument raised for the first time on appeal is...more

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