News & Analysis as of

Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Trademark Registration Appeals

Haug Partners LLP

Federal Circuit Reverses TTAB Decision in Sunkist Growers, Inc. v. Intrastate Distributors, Inc.: Minor Variations Are Not Always...

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On July 23, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB) dismissal of Sunkist Growers, Inc.’s (Sunkist) opposition to Intrastate Distributors, Inc.’s (IDI)...more

Knobbe Martens

3-2-1 Blast Off: US Space Force Trademark Dispute Aims for the Supreme Court

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The trademark attorney Thomas D. Foster has found himself in ongoing legal star wars to register US SPACE FORCE as his personal trademark covering coins, jewelry, watches, license plate holders, toys, and other everyday...more

Clark Hill PLC

Worried your trademark might be commercially and conceptually weak? Recent opinions by the trademark trial and appeal board...

Clark Hill PLC on

As any marketing expert will tell you, the best trademarks are both creative and unique. Such “strong” trademarks are more memorable and set a product apart from competitors’ products....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

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

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

McDermott Will & Schulte

False Connection: Post-Application Date Evidence Can Be Considered

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s refusal to register a mark on the grounds of false connection, explaining that the false connection inquiry can include evidence...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

Knobbe Martens

The Votes Are In: Highly Descriptive Marks Are Difficult to Protect

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HERITAGE ALLIANCE V. AMERICAN POLICY ROUNDTABLE - Before Prost, Taranto, and Stark. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Continuous-use evidence is not necessarily prima facie evidence of acquired distinctiveness...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

Knobbe Martens

Zoned Out: The Zone of Natural Expansion Doctrine Can Only Be Used Defensively

Knobbe Martens on

DOLLAR FINANCIAL GROUP, INC. v. BRITTEX FINANCIAL, INC. [OPINION] - Before Prost, Taranto, and Hughes.  Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. The zone of natural...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

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

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

Snell & Wilmer

Fourth Circuit Holds Additional Evidence Needed to Determine Whether “MOKE” is Generic

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The Fourth Circuit recently vacated and remanded a finding that the term MOKE is generic for certain low-speed, open-air vehicles. This case originated in the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) where Moke America LLC...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Beach Buggy Battle: Stipulation Insufficient to Establish Trademark Distinctiveness

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit found that a district court does not need to accept both parties’ stipulation that a mark is distinctive but instead is permitted to make an evidentiary inquiry in determining...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Sole Searching: Trade Dress Hopes Booted as Functional, Nondistinctive

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court’s summary judgment grant in a trademark dispute, finding that the district court did not err in concluding that a subset of design elements lacked...more

Willcox & Savage

A Proposed Mark Must Have A Source Identifying Function: Trademark Denied For “Keep America Great!”

Willcox & Savage on

In a non-precedential opinion; In re America in Harm’s Way; Serial No. 87976064, issued on November 30, 2023, the United States Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”), decided the issue of...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Stay in the Know: Informational Message Is Not a Source Identifier

Addressing whether the mark EVERYBODY VS. RACISM was registrable, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s final refusal to register the mark because it failed to function...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Still No Cancellation Based on Fraud, But What Next Steps Might the TTAB Take?

The Federal Circuit just “re-issued” its precedential decision in Great Concepts, LLC v. Chutter, Inc. (No. 2022-1212), where it had previously reversed the USPTO’s cancellation of a registered trademark. There was no...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Word From on High: Provide Reasoned Explanation When Departing From Established Practice

In a decision on motion in an appeal from the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit admonished the Board on remand to “furnish a reasoned explanation” when departing from its...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Federal Circuit’s Determination on Whether Fraudulent Conduct in Obtaining Incontestable Status Warrants the Mark’s Cancellation

In Great Concepts, LLC, v. Chutter, Inc., the Federal Circuit decided on whether the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board can cancel a trademark based on the inclusion of false statements in a declaration to obtain an...more

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