As a trademark applicant, encountering a prior registration that obstructs your path to registration is never a pleasant experience (nor for your attorneys who have to inform you about it). The frustration only intensifies...more
As the 1.5 year anniversary of the Trademark Modernization Act’s implementation approaches in June, the United States Patent and Trademark Office now offers an array of helpful guidance on the requirements, format, and even...more
Thank you for reading the April 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss practice tips for the two new petition processes instituted by the Trademark Modernization Act and highlight...more
This time last year, we introduced a series of blog posts in which we provided an overview of the new ex parte examination and expungement proceedings introduced by the Trademark Modernization Act (“TMA”) and pondered a...more
On December 18, 2021, the final rule implementing the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (TMA) went into effect, resulting in one of the most significant amendments to the rules of practice in trademark cases in decades...more
The Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (TMA) was signed into law on December 27, 2020. The TMA amended the federal trademark law (known as the Lanham Act) to provide new tools to address abuses of the US trademark...more
Yes, you read that correctly. Trademark practice at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as we know it is about to change (well, at least in part). The USPTO recently published its final rule implementing certain...more
As 2021 drew to a close, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) introduced two new procedures pursuant to the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (the “Act”), providing new, streamlined avenues to seek...more
On December 18, 2021, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rules implementing the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (TMA) went into effect. The first major overhaul of the Lanham Act since 1998, the TMA introduced...more
I. Introduction - On December 27, 2020, the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (“TMA”) became law after it passed Congress and was signed by the President as part of the year-end Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2021....more
On December 7, 2020, Congress enacted the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (the “TMA”). The United States Patent & Trademark Office (the “USPTO”) recently promulgated rules implementing the TMA, which, in large part, took...more
This year kicked off with new tools to help brand owners protect and enforce their marks. The use of a trademark in commerce is an important aspect of U.S. trademark law; however, an increasing number of trademark...more
Earlier this month, certain regulations implementing the Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) went into effect. Per the final rule, the new tools are primarily to clear the “deadwood” – that is, unused registered trademarks –...more
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
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
The Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) was signed into law on December 27, 2020, and the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced its final rules for implementing the TMA, the majority of which will...more
When Congress passed the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (TMA) on December 18, 2020, giving both the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and trademark owners additional tools to reduce clutter and improve the...more
The US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) recently published its final rules implementing provisions of the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (TMA). Most changes are effective as of December 18, 2021, but certain changes...more
The Nuts and Bolts of Expungement and Reexamination - You may remember our blog post here, discussing the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020, which became law at the end of last year. To implement the Trademark...more
On December 27, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which in addition to providing stimulus relief for the COVID pandemic, it includes important changes to trademark and copyright law. TRADEMARK...more
As has been the case in recent years, trademark filings in 2020 again increased over the previous year. While at first glance this may seem to indicate that the U.S. economy continues to grow and innovate, at least some of...more
In case you missed it, President Trump signed the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (TMA) into law on December 27, 2020. The TMA, which garnered bi-partisan support and was included in the COVID-19 Economic Relief Bill,...more