On January 23, 2023, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (the “Board”) issued a harsh reminder to parties of the potential adverse consequences of ignoring their discovery obligations and failing
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The Federal Circuit Deals Another Blow to the Lanham Act, Finding Section 2(c) Unconstitutional as Applied to a Refusal to Register TRUMP TOO SMALL
Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“CAFC”) reversed a TTAB decision affirming a refusal to register the phrase TRUMP TOO SMALL because it “comprises
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The TTAB: Service Mark Use Requires More Than Just Preparation
On December 10, 2021, the TTAB issued a precedential decision reminding trademark practitioners and applicants that service mark use requires that an applicant actually render the services recited in the
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The USPTO Issues Regulations Implementing the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020
Today, the USPTO issued regulations implementing the provisions of the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (“TMA”). The Regulations can be found here.
Practitioners should review the Regulations as soon
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The TTAB: “Knowing Intent to Deceive” is the Lynchpin of A Fraud Claim
All TTAB practitioners are familiar with the heightened standard of proof required to prove fraud before the USPTO. However, many forget that proving an intent to deceive the USPTO, not
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Be Precise When Expressly Abandoning a Trademark Application or Face the Consequences
In a recent precedential decision, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) cautioned practitioners to be careful what they ask for and to draft their filings accordingly.
On September 8,
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Precedential TTAB Decision Revisits Claim and Issue Preclusion
In a recent precedential decision, the TTAB again revisited the doctrines of claim and issue preclusion.
Valvoline Licensing & Intellectual Property LLC (“Valvoline”) opposed Sunpoint International Group USA Corp.’s (“Sunpoint”)
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Which Time Zone Controls the Timeliness of Discovery Requests at the TTAB?
In a recent precedential decision, the TTAB confronted the issue of timeliness of discovery requests served in opposition and cancellation proceedings—namely, whether Eastern Standard Time (EST) controls the timeliness of
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TTAB Cancels Registration for Gun Barrel Trade Dress on Grounds of Functionality
On May 20, 2021, the TTAB issued a lengthy and comprehensive precedential opinion canceling Proof Research, Inc.’s registration for the trade dress of a gun barrel (as shown below) on
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USPTO Issues Warning to U.S. Attorneys Not to Aid Others in Circumventing the U.S. Counsel Rule
Yesterday, the USPTO issued an alert regarding emails that U.S. attorneys have been receiving from unlicensed persons offering to pay attorneys in exchange for use of the attorneys’ bar credentials
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