News & Analysis as of

Trademark Registration Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Appeals

McDermott Will & Emery

Sole Searching: Trade Dress Hopes Booted as Functional, Nondistinctive

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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!”

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In a non-precedential opinion; In re America in Harm’s Way; Serial No. 87976064, issued on November 30, 2023, the United States Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and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 & Emery

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 & Emery

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

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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

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

MarkIt to Market® - October 2023: A Limit to Cancel Culture? Federal Circuit Finds Fraud in Connection with Section 15 Declaration...

In 2021, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board cancelled Great Concepts, LLC’s trademark registration for the mark DANTANNA’S for restaurant services under Section 14, after finding that counsel for the Registrant committed...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Cancellation of a Registered Mark Based on Fraud in Section 15 Affidavit Not Allowed

On Wednesday, a divided panel of the Federal Circuit issued a precedential decision reversing the USPTO’s cancellation of a registered trademark (Great Concepts, LLC v. Chutter, Inc., No. 2022-1212). As detailed in the...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

TTAB Confirms that Building Design Marks Lack of Distinctiveness

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In In re Palacio Del Rio Inc (Serial Nos 88412764 and 88437801), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) has issued an opinion affirming the refusal of two building design mark applications by Palacio Del Rio Inc (PDR) –...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Hairy Situation: Trademark Act Doesn’t Provide Consumer Standing

The US Patent & Trademark Office Trademark Trial & Appeal Board found that a consumer did not have standing to oppose an application for registration because the consumer failed to establish a commercial interest and injury...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

Fourth Circuit Confirms That ‘Gruyere’ is Generic for Cheese

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The appellants, Interprofession du Gruyère and Syndicat Interprofessionnel du Gruyère, are two consortiums, Swiss and French, that regulate use of the term ‘gruyere’ to refer only to cheeses produced in the Gruyère district...more

McDermott Will & Emery

No Spark Here: TTAB Refuses to Register Similar Mark for Real Estate Services

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The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s refusal to register a mark due to the “close similarity” between the applied-for mark and a previously registered mark. In Re:...more

McDermott Will & Emery

“Goods in Trade” in the Age of the Internet

The Trademark Trial & Appeal Board recently redefined what it takes in the age of the internet to meet the “goods in trade” requirement for registrability by holding that the Lens.com three-factor test is the universal legal...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

How Lizzo Helped the USPTO Identify the Source of “100% THAT B---H”

Recently, Melissa Jefferson, known professionally as Lizzo, took on the USPTO in a battle to establish trademark rights to a popular lyric from her 2017, Billboard-topping song Truth Hurts. The phrase, “100% That B—h”, which...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

MarkIt to Market® - February 2023

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

Knobbe Martens

Proving Reputational Injury Without Use of the Marks in the United States

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MEENAXI ENTERPRISE, INC. v. THE COCA-COLA COMPANY - Before Dyk, Reyna, and Stoll.  Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Summary: To maintain a statutory cause of action under the Lanham Act for activities...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Drink Up, but Not with Lehman Brand

In the context of an opposition proceeding, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a Trademark Trial & Appeal Board (Board) refusal to register a trademark based on likelihood of confusion with a famous but...more

McDermott Will & Emery

“TRUMP TOO SMALL” Trademark Decision Leaves Big Questions

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Revisiting jurisprudence touching on the Lanham Act and the First Amendment from the Supreme Court’s decisions in Matal v. Tam and Iancu v. Brunetti, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that applying Sec....more

Fenwick & West LLP

The First Amendment Trumps Another Restriction on Trademark Registrations

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On February 24, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in In Re: Elster, overturned the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB) refusal to grant a trademark registration on the phrase “TRUMP TOO SMALL” for...more

Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP

Federal Circuit Affirms Refusal to Register Generic Top-Level Domain Trademarks

On February 2, in In re: Vox Populi Registry Ltd., the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB) refusal to register a standard character mark and a stylized mark, both related to the “.sucks”...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Big Little Lies: Guidelines for Challenging Trademark Acquired Distinctiveness Claims

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For the second time, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit examined the standard for demonstrating fraud in a party’s claim of a trademark’s acquired distinctiveness for purposes of registration under Section 2(f)...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Selection Of Federal Circuit Review Of A TTAB Decision Does Not Bar District Court Review Of A Later TTAB Decision Issued In The...

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On March 17, 2021, in a matter of first impression, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held a party appealing a decision of the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) may seek review of...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

A Look At Trademark Law Changes In Congress' Spending Bill

The federal trademark registration system in the U.S. is primarily premised on how a mark is used in commerce on or in connection with the provision of certain goods and services. Most U.S. trademark applicants must show the...more

Jones Day

JONES DAY TALKS®: Women in IP: 2020 in Review and a Look Toward 2021

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Jones Day's Meredith Wilkes and Anna Raimer discuss 2020's most significant developments in trademark law and preview what's to come in 2021, including possible progress in Washington on the highly anticipated Trademark...more

ArentFox Schiff

The USPTO Put Its Foot Down on Registering Master Rancher

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Is a MASTER RANCHER also the RANCHMASTER? That is the question pondered by the TTAB in this ex parte appeal. The hardware store, True Value Company, despite owning numerous registrations for “MASTER-” formative marks, was...more

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