Last month, the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) began an initiative to expedite the review of, and waive the fees related to, trademark applications for marks used to identify qualifying Covid-19 products and services. According to the USPTO’s website, this initiative launched “in view of the critical need to develop and help
Feds Continue to Target Companies Marketing COVID-19 Products
Nearly every week it seems as though the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is sending out a new round of warning letters to companies marketing products and therapies as effectively treating or preventing COVID-19. We previously wrote blog posts here and here about sets of such letters, and our colleague, Marissa Koblitz Kingman, recently wrote
Can a State Ban Advertising Due to COVID-19?
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in dozens or hundreds of city, county, and state stay-at-home/shelter-in-place orders requiring closure of non-essential businesses across the county. Most if not all such orders exempt particular types of businesses, including stores selling groceries, medical supplies, and other necessities. Many also require specific social distancing, hygiene, and sanitization procedures for
Excusable Nonuse of TM Due to Coronavirus
My colleague, Bridget Short, recently drafted an alert regarding an option for trademark owners seeking to avoid cancelation of a registration due to a temporary interruption in use and inability to file a declaration of use.
Due to circumstances beyond their control, trademark owners may file a declaration of nonuse setting forth (1) the
Cancellations at USPTO, PTAB, TTAB, etc.
On Friday, the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that it was cancelling all in-person meetings — including all examiner interviews, all meetings between examiners and applicants, and all hearings before the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). The USPTO noted that parties will receive further
COVID-19’s Effect on Advertising
By all accounts, and as predicated by multiple news outlets earlier this month, COVID-19 may have a substantial and chilling effect on advertising. Adweek, for example, wrote an article in early March predicting how the coronavirus would disrupt the global advertising industry, not merely by major events being cancelled but also by a potential decrease