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
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
As part of the recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit took steps to return to normal operations. It began requiring live oral arguments in August 2022 and, by November,...more
We are committed to providing insightful commentary on IP developments from around the world to our Japanese clients. In light of that effort, we are continuing our free monthly webinar series, McDermott IP Focus. During...more
The USPTO is extending their pro bono efforts to allow those establishing a need to retain voluntary pro bono ex parte examination appeal counsel and eventually pro bono counsel for all proceedings conducted at the Board....more
The PTAB Strategies and Insights newsletter provides timely updates and insights into how best to handle proceedings at the USPTO. It is designed to increase return on investment for all stakeholders looking at the entire...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
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
On December 21, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and the act was signed into law on December 27, 2020. But don’t let the bland title fool you. ...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
On December 27, 2020, the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (“the Act”) became law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Among other changes, the Act includes important amendments to the Lanham Act...more
A new "IP Fast Action Protocol" has been approved by the Commercial Courts of Barcelona and the European Union Trademark Courts located in Alicante in order to facilitate the handling of IP-related disputes before and during...more