News & Analysis as of

Trademark Registration Use in Commerce

Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig PLLC

A Very Demure, Very Mindful Trademark Problem: Prior-Filed Applications For Your Trademark

TikTok user Jools LeBron (@joolieannie) took the internet by storm when she posted a video encouraging people to be very demure and very mindful in applying their makeup. The post went viral and Jools’ following skyrocketed...more

Pillsbury - Propel

Trademark Fundamentals: Use in Commerce

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Startup founders looking to protect their brands need to understand the concept of “use in commerce” to successfully register their trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This article will break down...more

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP

Search and File, Here and There!

There once was a company named Zotz, Which created toys for tots, It set up abroad, of course! But filing first is KnockOffSource, Can Zotz manufacture? Methink “notz!” First published in Inside magazine, NYSBA, Fall...more

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP

Search first!

There once was a company named Zotz, Which created toys for tots, The newest toy, named Ketter™, Recalled after a cease and desist letter, Oh my, no trademark search, CEO Zotz? First published in Inside magazine,...more

Miller Canfield

This is How We Use It: The Importance of Use in Canadian Trademark Law and Keeping Records of Use

Miller Canfield on

In our previous article, Protecting Your Brand: A Primer on Canadian Trademarks, we touched upon the beginning stages of a trademark application and considerations such as, "Should I register my trademark?" and "Is the...more

Clark Hill PLC

U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision in Abitron Austria GMBH et al. v. Hetronic International, Inc. Underscores the Need for Foreign...

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On June 29, the United States Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decision regarding the foreign reach of the Lanham Act, the federal statute that prohibits trademark infringement. The decision confirms the...more

BakerHostetler

Extraterritorial Reach of the Lanham Act

BakerHostetler on

The Supreme Court recently ruled in Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International, Inc. that Lanham Act (Act) remedies for trademark infringement do not extend to infringing conduct that takes place outside the United...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Took a DNA Test, Turns Out “100% THAT BITCH” Is Registrable

McDermott Will & Emery on

Addressing a refusal to register for failure to function as a trademark, the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board (Board) reversed, finding that the evidence of consumer perception of “100% THAT BITCH” did not demonstrate that the...more

Stark & Stark

Franchisor Beware: Registered Trademarks Does Not Mean Impunity from Priority Local Use Challenge

Stark & Stark on

Federal trademark registration is the Holy Grail for companies, especially franchises, looking to expand their footprint and access a national audience. But even though trademark registration confers on owners certain...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

TM Registration Specimens

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To apply for a federally-registered trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), an applicant is required under 15 U.S.C. § 1051 to, among other things, submit specimens of the mark and verify that it...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Yes, Really: The TTAB Affirms That the USPTO Will Not Register Marks for Illegal Goods

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Trademark owners in the cannabis field keep trying new ways to register their marks, and who can blame them? Branding is everything in an increasingly online world, and protecting your brand’s reputation is paramount to...more

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

MarkIt to Market® - September 2020: CB – Don'ts

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

Williams Mullen

Ten Trademark Myths and How They Can Hurt Your Business

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U.S. trademark law is a nuanced subject governed by both federal and state laws, and determining the scope of a parties’ trademark rights can be complex and highly fact specific. Nearly every company has at least one...more

Jaburg Wilk

Trademark Trolls Circling Redskins Unlikely to See Big Pay Day

Jaburg Wilk on

For decades, the Washington Redskins’ name has been the center of controversy, both in federal court and in the court of public opinion. Native American groups have long decried the name as a racial slur and have challenged...more

International Lawyers Network

What happens to EU trade marks after Brexit?

A mere three and a half years after the 2016 referendum on membership of the European Union, the UK looks set to “leave” the EU on 31 January 2020. Instead of exiting without a deal (which at one stage looked distinctly...more

Knobbe Martens

Trademarks Require “Use in Commerce” – But What If You Need Regulatory Approval Before Selling Your Medical Device?

Knobbe Martens on

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) allows for a trademark application to be filed on an “Intent to Use” basis to establish a priority date before the mark is actually “used in commerce.” However, such use in...more

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets

Unitary Design Mark Rescues a Phrase Which Failed To Function As A Trademark

In a recent decision on remand from the Federal Circuit, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) rejected Petitioner adidas AG’s (“adidas”) claim that Respondent Christian Faith Fellowship Church (“CFFC”) abandoned its...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Adidas’ All-In Dispute with Church Sheds Light on Trademark Abandonment and Failure to Function as a Trademark

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

In 2005, Christian Faith Fellowship Church, a Chicago-based church group, filed two trademark applications for the mark ADD A ZERO for use on clothing, including shirts and caps that they later sold to raise money for...more

Knobbe Martens

Trademarks Require “Use in Commerce” – But What If You Need Regulatory Approval Before Selling Your Product?

Knobbe Martens on

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) allows for a trademark application to be filed on an “Intent to Use” basis to establish a priority date before the mark is actually “used in commerce.” However, such use in...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

What Qualifies As Acceptable Use In U.S. Commerce? (UPDATED)

Ladas & Parry LLP on

The mark must be used “in Commerce” and in good faith in the ordinary course of trade. While the USPTO will generally not conduct an inquiry, the applicant must claim use that qualifies as “Use in U.S. Commerce”. ...more

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

MarkIt to Market® - September 2019: Perception is Everything: Use of Component Marks in Commerce

When it comes to proving use of marks in commerce, perception by consumers is everything. If consumers perceive a mark as identifying only a particular component or feature of the goods in a specimen, the PTO will likely...more

Jaburg Wilk

Why Register My Trademark? The Benefits of Trademark Registration

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A trademark is a word, name, or symbol used to identify and distinguish a seller’s product from those of others. A trademark is part of a company’s brand. It is the embodiment of the company’s reputation. Over time, a...more

International Lawyers Network

Understanding Trademarks Act Changes

On June 17, 2019, Canada’s Trademarks Act changed, resulting in its modernization. Canada has now joined five international intellectual property treaties, including the Madrid Protocol, Singapore Treaty and Nice Agreement,...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Website Printout: Acceptable Specimen of Use or Advertising?

Addressing whether a webpage printout showed use of a mark in commerce, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB’s) decision denying registration of the mark and...more

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

MarkIt® to Market - April 2019: What’s The Point (Of Sale Display)?

On April 10, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit redesignated as precedential its January 14, 2019 decision upholding the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB) decision affirming refusal of...more

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