News & Analysis as of

Trademark Trial and Appeal Board

McDermott Will & Emery

Zone of Natural Expansion Is a Shield, Not a Sword

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The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a Trademark Trial & Appeal Board decision to partially cancel trademarks, ruling that an opposition challenger could not use the zone of natural expansion doctrine to...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

TTAB Sustains Opposition Based on Reputation Without Use in the United States

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TTAB sustains opposition based on reputation without use in the United States - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Legal updates: case law analysis and intelligence - The opponent, owner of Venezuelan company La Montserratina,...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Compassion in Registration: A Lesson in Filing Narrow Trademark Applications

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Identical trademarks can coexist, as the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board once again emphasized when it overturned the refusal of a COMPASSION IN ACTION mark. ...more

International Lawyers Network

Can U.S. Trademark Registrations Be Cancelled for Genericness?

Suppose that you have obtained a U.S. trademark registration for your trademark on goods or services for your business. Can your trademark registration be cancelled with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office based on...more

McDermott Will & Emery

No Bull: Historically Generic Term Can Become Non-Generic

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The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed Trademark Trial & Appeal Board rulings, finding that a previously generic term was not generic at the time registration was sought because at that time the mark, as...more

McAfee & Taft

Utah Yetis: The road to naming a new NHL team hits trademark snag

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In 2024, Utah made its big debut in the National Hockey League, adding a new team to the league and a new reason for fans to get excited. The challenge for the team owner, Uyte, LLC, wasn’t just about building a roster of...more

Fish & Richardson

Trademark Office Error Saves One Application From Drowning, But Not Its Shipmate

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In a rare case involving an admitted error by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, on February 20, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the denial of Agadia Systems Inc.’s application for...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

TTAB Practitioners Beware: TTAB Dismissals With Prejudice, But Without Judgment, Can Support A Claim Preclusion Defense

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In a recent precedential cancellation decision, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) partially granted Respondent’s motion for summary judgment, holding that the parties’ stipulation that prior proceedings between...more

Snell & Wilmer

Fourth Circuit Holds Additional Evidence Needed to Determine Whether “MOKE” is Generic

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The Fourth Circuit recently vacated and remanded a finding that the term MOKE is generic for certain low-speed, open-air vehicles. This case originated in the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) where Moke America LLC...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Rules Are Rules, Especially in Trademark Proceedings

The Commissioner for Trademarks recently issued a precedential decision terminating a reexamination proceeding for the registrant’s failure to respond within a statutory time period, where there was insufficient justification...more

Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

Trademark Practice Considerations Following the USPTO 2025 Fee Increases

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) could see fewer trademark applications filed in numerous Classes with lengthy descriptions of goods and services as a result of an increase in trademark fees and new surcharges...more

Fish & Richardson

USPTO Kicks “Hijacker” of Foreign Trademark Out the Door

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When, if ever, is it okay to use a trademark in U.S. commerce that is identical to another company’s mark used outside the U.S.? Courts have struggled with this issue for years, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office...more

Holland & Knight LLP

COGNAC, Hip Hop and Fame: A Trademark Showdown with a Twist

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You might be wondering what cognac, hip-hop and fame have in common. The answer, at least in a recent opinion by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, is certification trademarks. We have written in the past...more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

The Precedent: Federal Circuit Clarifies Functionality Doctrine in CeramTec v. CoorsTek

In this edition of The Precedent, we outline the recent federal circuit decision in CeramTec v. CoorsTek. ...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Beach Buggy Battle: Stipulation Insufficient to Establish Trademark Distinctiveness

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The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit found that a district court does not need to accept both parties’ stipulation that a mark is distinctive but instead is permitted to make an evidentiary inquiry in determining...more

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

TTAB Upholds Reputation Outside of U.S. as Ground for Opposition

In the recent precedential decision Plumrose Holding Ltd. v. USA Ham LLC, Opposition No. 91272970 (January 17, 2025), the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board found that an Opposer had standing to challenge registration of a...more

Irwin IP LLP

Cognac Flexing Fame in Hip-hop

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Bureau Nat'l Interprofessionnel du Cognac v. Cologne & Cognac Ent., 110 F.4th 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2024) - In trademark disputes, the likelihood of confusion analysis—guided by the DuPont factors—is a balancing test with the...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Ceramtec GMBH v. Coorstek Biocermanics LLC

This case examines the application of trademark functionality doctrine in the medical device industry, specifically addressing whether the pink color of ceramic hip components can be protected as a trademark. The case...more

Miller Canfield

Tickled Pink No More: Federal Circuit Affirms Cancellation of CeramTec’s Trademarks for Pink Ceramic Hip Implants

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Color trademarks have traditionally been difficult to obtain. Of the over 4 million trademark registrations, there were less than 1000 color trademarks as of 2019. To be eligible for trademark registration, a color must have...more

Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP

Fee Increases for Trademark Applications and Maintenance Effective January 18, 2025

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has finalized new fees for trademark applications and renewals. These fee increases vary by type of submission, but these changes may impact strategic considerations for trademark...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Pink Is Not the New Black: See Functionality Doctrine

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The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a Trademark Trial & Appeal Board decision canceling trademarks for the color pink for ceramic hip components, stating that substantial evidence supported the Board’s...more

Irwin IP LLP

Hips Don’t Lie (About Their Allegedly Optimal Color). 

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CeramTec v. Coorstek Bioceramics, Case No. 2023-1502 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 3, 2025) - Colors are generally permitted as source identifiers for trademarks or trade dress because they are typically perceived as an ornamental...more

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

Beams of Light Fail to Strike a Chord with the Board

The Guitar Hotel in Hollywood, Florida is a hotel in the shape of the body of a guitar, with six lit-up “strings” running vertically up the surface of the building. At 7 pm daily, the hotel conducts a music and light show...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

A SUPER HERO-ic Trademark Takedown

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Last month, the creators of beloved characters like “Superman” and “Spider-Man” declined to come to their own rescue when their SUPER HERO and SUPER HEROES registrations were cancelled by a default judgment from the U.S....more

Ladas & Parry LLP

TTAB favours Airbnb in opposition against competitor TREEBNB mark

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In Airbnb Inc v Seth Bolt and Victoria Bolt, the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board (TTAB) ruled in favour of opposer Airbnb Inc., against applicants Seth and Victoria Bolt. The board’s decision was influenced by, among other...more

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