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
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
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
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
Trademark owners and practitioners have some extra reasons to celebrate this year, as the majority of the Trademark Modernization Act went into effect on December 18, 2021. Among other benefits for trademark infringement...more
12/24/2021
/ Brand ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Ex Partes Reexamination ,
Expungement ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
The December 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses new enforcement tools courtesy of the Trademark Modernization Act; Pfizer's acquisition of Arena Pharmaceuticals; the latest developments in...more
12/23/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Brand ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Ex Partes Reexamination ,
Expungement ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Pfizer ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Websites
Future Intentions Not Enough to Pave the Road to Registration -
“Reduces pain,” “alleviates anxiety,” “improves sleep” – these are just some of the claims of the miraculous CBD. The surfeit of new CBD brands and products...more
10/4/2021
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent-to-Use ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
The September 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a recent non-precedential Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision regarding intent-to-use applications covering CBD products currently...more
10/1/2021
/ Banking Reform ,
Banking Sector ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Criminal Penalties ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Drug Possession ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
gTLD ,
ICANN ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent-to-Use ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
The June 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses recent litigation surrounding copyright registration invalidation and implications of the increase in trademark application filings at the USPTO....more
6/29/2021
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Office ,
Copyright Registration ,
Evidence ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent to Defraud ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Patents ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Naughty With Nature -
Last week, the FDA issued two warning letters to companies selling drugs where CBD is listed as an ingredient on the label. The FDA’s “naughty list” of companies manufacturing CBD-ingredient drugs is...more
Creativity abounds in the CBD industry – both in the wide variety of products infused with it, and in the efforts undergone by applicants trying to circumvent the Trademark Act to register per se unlawful CBD-infused...more
10/3/2020
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Commerce Clause ,
Farm Bill ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Hemp ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Marijuana ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
Use in Commerce ,
USPTO
The USPTO has been working to combat misleading and fraudulent solicitations sent to federal trademark applicants/registrants and is calling on the public to report and identify these bad actors....more
7/24/2020
/ Fraud ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
LinkedIn ,
Risk Management ,
Scams ,
Solicitation ,
Text Messages ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
In a non-precedential opinion issued this month, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board affirmed the refusal to register Jos. A. Magnus & Co., LLC’s mark MAGNUS for “whiskey, gin, and...more
2/10/2020
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Lanham Act ,
Prosecution History Estoppel ,
Surnames ,
Trademark Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Searches ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO