On November 18, 2024, the USPTO issued a final rule to increase certain trademark filing fees. The fees will take effect January 18, 2025. A full list of the changes, including some discontinued filing options, can be...more
There is a quite a lot of buzz around potential reclassification of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This reclassification, proposed by the DEA and backed by HHS, recognizes...more
Join Sterne Kessler’s Global Trademark & Brand Protection team for our mid-year review webinar, when we will take a closer look at the latest developments in trademark law. From recent court decisions to industry-trends, our...more
7/16/2024
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
False Association ,
First Amendment ,
Functionality ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Right of Publicity ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Webinars
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
4/2/2024
/ Descriptive Trademarks ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Precedential Opinion ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Invalidity ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks
Welcome to the March 2024 issue of Sterne Kessler’s MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the IPR Center’s efforts to stop global IP theft and address counterfeiting on both home and foreign turf; a recent TTAB...more
4/1/2024
/ Brand ,
Copyright Registration ,
Corporate Branding ,
Counterfeit Goods Regulation ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Descriptive Trademarks ,
Illegal Imports ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Especially during the holi-daze, it can be easy to let our safeguards down and fall prey to scammers looking to make a quick buck. Trademark applicants and registrants interacting with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office...more
12/27/2023
/ Email ,
Fraud ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Phishing Scams ,
Risk Management ,
Scams ,
Solicitation ,
Spoofing ,
Text Messages ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Thank you for reading the December 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the USPTO's new guidance on "clothed" consent agreements, three ways to protect your identify and avoid...more
12/22/2023
/ Consent Agreements ,
Goods or Services ,
IP Assignment Agreements ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Risk Management ,
Spam ,
Spoofing ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
How many times a day on average do you think you sign something? Do you sign your full name, your initials, a version of your name, an “X” or some other identifier? Do you “wet sign” with a pen? Do you use an “s” signature,...more
Thank you for reading the October 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the Federal Circuit’s recent case considering the scope of the USPTO’s authority to cancel registrations...more
11/1/2023
/ Advertising ,
Brand ,
Corporate Branding ,
Declaration of Use ,
E-Signatures ,
Enforcement ,
Fraud ,
Incontestability Clauses ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Signatures ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Cancellation ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
As part of its ongoing efforts to improve and maintain the accuracy of the Trademark Register, and combat trademark scams and bot-filed trademark applications, the USPTO has revised examination procedures for reviewing...more
9/7/2023
/ Domicile ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Verification Requirements
Earlier this month, the USPTO announced that it intends to send a “Welcome Letter” to applicants or counsel of record who have filed new trademark applications. The letter, which should appear as shown here, will be sent...more
Thank you for reading the August 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we conclude our series that explores ways to lose trademark rights with an examination of naked licensing, discuss a...more
9/1/2023
/ Abandonment ,
Change of Ownership ,
China ,
CNIPA ,
Domicile ,
Foreign Trademark ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
International Trademark Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
License Agreements ,
New Guidance ,
New Rules ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Third-Party ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Examination ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Licenses ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Suspensions ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
WIPO
In a precedential decision earlier this month, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board upheld refusals to register two trademarks owned by National Concessions Group Inc. (“National”) on the ground that the goods – essential oil...more
Thank you for reading the May 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss Taco Bell's attempt to cancel two TACO TUESDAY trademark registrations, and a precedential TTAB decision...more
6/1/2023
/ Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc v Goldsmith ,
Artists ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Copyright ,
Drug Paraphernalia ,
Functionality ,
Generic Marks ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
SCOTUS ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Transformative Use ,
USPTO
Late last week, the USPTO issued Examination Guide 1-23 which establishes guidelines for USPTO Examining Attorney compliance with Section 2(c) of the Lanham Act. The Guide provides a framework for examining certain types of...more
3/2/2023
/ Appeals ,
Donald Trump ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Examination Guide ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
Unconstitutional Condition ,
USPTO
Thank you for reading the February 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss Section 2(c) of the Lanham Act in relation to the Supreme Court's pending review of the TRUMP TOO SMALL...more
3/1/2023
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Donald Trump ,
Lanham Act ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Scams ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Examination Guide ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
USPTO
Join Sterne Kessler attorneys for our inaugural Trademark Year in Review webinar, where speakers will offer summaries and analysis of particularly noteworthy cases from 2022, along with updates on the latest in U.S. trademark...more
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s recently issued precedential decision dismissing an opposition alleging a likelihood of confusion between the registered mark SMOK and a pending application for the mark SMOKES and...more
Thank you for reading the November 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we address a precedential TTAB decision that presents interesting priority issues relating in particular to the...more
12/1/2022
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Websites
U.S. brand owners were heartened to learn of the Show Cause Order issued late last week by the USPTO’s Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks, which takes aim at potentially thousands of trademark applications thought to...more
Thank you for reading the August 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss a Show Cause Order recently issued by the USPTO to combat thousands of fraudulent trademark applications. We...more
9/1/2022
/ Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Order to Show Cause ,
Rules of Practice ,
Sanctions ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Websites
This is not our first warning about trademark scams, and (sadly) it will surely not be our last, but it bears repeating that trademark owners should be extremely wary of any unexpected communications (email, text, snail mail)...more
[co-author: Ivy Attenborough, Summer Associate]
Thank you for reading the June 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the differences between Copyright Claims Board and federal...more
6/22/2022
/ Actual Damages ,
Attorney's Fees ,
CASE Act ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Registration ,
Email ,
Forum Selection ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jurisdiction ,
Scams ,
Statutory Damages ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
When Fame is the Name of the Game -
As of the third quarter of 2021, Swedish music streaming company SPOTIFY boasted 381 million monthly active users worldwide – significantly more than the population of the entire United...more
2/1/2022
/ Brand ,
Dilution ,
Dispensaries ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Spotify ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks
Happy New Year! We’re excited to share the January 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter in a newly updated format. This month’s articles discuss the Pantone Color Institute's 2022 Color of the Year –...more
1/28/2022
/ Brand ,
Color Marks ,
Dilution ,
Dispensaries ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Spotify ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks