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Minimizing Website Infringement Liability: (Re)Designate Your Digital Millennium Copyright Act Agent

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If you have a brand, chances are you have a website.  And if you have a website, chances are you have content on the website – probably some combination of text, music, photos, and graphics, including a logo that may be registered with both the USPTO and the Copyright Office.  You’re probably taking steps to help ensure that infringing content isn’t posted to your website –right?  In case you hadn’t heard of it, here’s an additional nifty, inexpensive way for you to help minimize liability even further: compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Continue reading “Minimizing Website Infringement Liability: (Re)Designate Your Digital Millennium Copyright Act Agent”

A Second Chance for Supplemental Register Registrations: Debunking “Myths” about Re-Filing on the Principal Register

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You might remember from Tore DeBella’s post on deciding between Principal and Supplemental Register registration that the Principal Register is the place to be if you’re a trademark owner. But what if the best you could do was secure a Supplemental Register, or “second best,” kind of registration?

Don’t despair!

It might be possible to find your way to the Principal Register even if your mark initially landed on the Supplemental Register.  If a mark has acquired distinctiveness – or significance as a brand name – while on the Supplemental Register, it may become eligible for registration on the Principal Register.  We’ve noticed a few common misconceptions about this process.  Below, we do our best to debunk the “myths” we most often hear: Continue reading “A Second Chance for Supplemental Register Registrations: Debunking “Myths” about Re-Filing on the Principal Register”

Review of 2016 ANA/BAA Marketing Law Conference

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This past weekend, the Brand Activation Association (BAA), a division of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), held its 38th Annual Marketing Law Conference in Chicago, Illinois.  The author, along with two other members of Drinker Biddle’s branding team, attended the conference, which is widely regarded as one of the top conferences on marketing and advertising law, with deep practical legal content.  The conference was co-chaired by legal counsel from Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo, and Twitter, and speakers included representatives from Airbnb, American Express, Buzzfeed, Expedia, Facebook, Intel, Lyft, MasterCard, McDonalds, Procter & Gamble, VISA, AT&T, WPP, Mondelez, Sears and at least 30 other companies. Continue reading “Review of 2016 ANA/BAA Marketing Law Conference”

Seven Strategies for Speedy Service Mark (and Trademark) Registration

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We really love registering service marks. Trademarks, too. (Mentioning service marks in the title of this post better served our alliterative inclinations.) What’s even more fun is finding new ways to register trademarks as quickly and cost-effectively as possible – which frees up time and money we can use to…register more trademarks.  Hooray!

In case you are of a similar mindset, here are some things to ponder while you work on a new US application.

Continue reading “Seven Strategies for Speedy Service Mark (and Trademark) Registration”

The “Principal” of the Matter: Deciding Between Principal and Supplemental Register Registration

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I’ll start this post by acknowledging the misleading title – rarely, if ever, does a federal trademark applicant independently decide to register its mark on the Supplemental Register in the United States.  Whereas registration on the Principal Register is the “gold standard” for federal trademark applicants, the Supplemental Register offers a “second best” kind of registration, which provides some, but not a full complement, of benefits.  Continue reading “The “Principal” of the Matter: Deciding Between Principal and Supplemental Register Registration”

Speaking the Language of the Trademark Office: Descriptions of Goods and Services

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One of the most important steps when preparing a new trademark application is creating the list of the products or services that the trademark will identify.

Think about it:  This list defines the scope of your registered rights in a mark.  The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will use this list to determine whether your mark is confusingly similar to those in prior applications and registrations, and competitors will use it to gauge whether they can get away with adopting a similar brand.  Plus, if your description of goods and services is inaccurate, your trademark registration can be exposed to cancellation.  High stakes!

Ever take a look at one of these descriptions and wonder what on earth it means?  “Providing temporary use of on-line non-downloadable software and applications for {specify the function of the programs, e.g., for use in database management, for use as a spreadsheet, for word processing, etc. and, if software is content- or field-specific, the field of use}”?  That’s a lot to take in all at once – so let’s break it down.  Continue reading “Speaking the Language of the Trademark Office: Descriptions of Goods and Services”

Brexit & Your Trade Marks – Some Practical Questions Answered (Guest Post from UK Firm HGF)

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We found this update from the UK firm HGF ( www.hgf.com ) helpful, and thought you might, too — so we asked permission to re-post it here.  Enjoy!  P.S. Since we’re lawyers, we have to mention that HGF is not affiliated with Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, and the views expressed in this post are those of HGF, and not those of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP or its clients.– DBRanding® Blog Editors

You will no doubt have received many updates from IP law firms discussing the potentially new landscape for IP rights in the UK and EU in the longer term. Some are long, some short, some academic, but maybe not all practical.

The following briefing answers some of the more practical questions and concerns around managing your trade mark portfolio in light of Brexit. With change comes opportunity, and we at HGF are here to help you maximise that opportunity. We do not claim to know all that will transpire in the next few years come Brexit, no one does, but we hope these initial practical pointers below will help you along the way.

As a European firm of intellectual property specialists with locations in both the UK and mainland Europe, HGF will continue to offer a fully integrated team of professionals in the EU covering not only trade marks, but patents, designs, contentious and non-contentious IP law. Continue reading “Brexit & Your Trade Marks – Some Practical Questions Answered (Guest Post from UK Firm HGF)”

Marco v. Polo: Navigating Around “Likelihood of Confusion” Refusals

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There are refusals, and then there are refusals, and a “likelihood of confusion” refusal (also called a “Section 2(d)” refusal in the US) is certainly of the latter variety.  But most times you don’t need to be an expert navigator to traverse these choppy waters and successfully sail your application through to registration.  All it takes is a little bit of “pathfinding” (investigating) on your part, and “charting a course” (developing a strategic approach) for moving forward.

And then I ran out of explorer metaphors.

As consolation, here are some thoughts about how to approach and respond to these kinds of refusals, which are among the most daunting.  Some, but not all, of the tips below apply equally to “likelihood of confusion” refusals encountered in the USA and in trademark offices abroad.

Continue reading “Marco v. Polo: Navigating Around “Likelihood of Confusion” Refusals”

What to Know (and Ask!) When Opposing a Foreign Trademark Application

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It’s a typical afternoon in the office.  You’re taking a look at the watch notices your trademark watching service has recently forwarded for your review – when all of a sudden, you come across a third-party application filed outside the USA for a mark that looks an awful lot like one of your brands.

So, what do you do?

Time to get in touch with local counsel to figure out whether it’s advisable – or even possible – to challenge the registration of this application in their country.

Below, we list some of our favorite tricks for quickly and efficiently getting all the information needed to determine next steps and avoid surprises.  (Pro-tip:  Drop all your questions for counsel into a single email when you have a looming opposition deadline and time is of the essence!)

  1. The very first step is to make sure counsel doesn’t have any conflicts helping you out – this is an important one!
  1. Worried about deadlines? Confirm with counsel that the opposition deadline is the date listed on the watch notice (beware – they don’t always match!), and ask if extensions are available.
  1. When asking about estimated costs, we like to know the “worst case scenario” – that is, the total fees and expenses when dealing with an applicant who aggressively contests the opposition.  Knowing this information up front can help to avoid some unpleasant billing surprises!
  1. Though you’ll want to understand your chances of succeeding in any opposition, it’s a good idea to get the whole story.  Could this applicant turn around and challenge the registration of your brands in this or another country?  Be sure to discuss the risks of opposing with counsel.
  1. Immediately ask whether a Power of Attorney or other documentation will be required.  If you decide to oppose at the last minute, you’ll already have the document in hand and can simply sign and return it to counsel.  If you’re told legalized documents are needed, consider asking whether PDF copies will suffice to meet the deadline.

Finally, don’t forget to give counsel a head start – in addition to forwarding the watch notice you spotted, let them know about the relevant applications and registrations you own and any history you might have with the applicant.

Taking advantage of these tips and tricks will help you make the most informed decision possible going forward.  And the sooner you can deal with a potential infringer, the better!

Are You Brand Obsessed?

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Are you one of those trademark professionals who can’t shed your “Brand Police” identity no matter where you are or what you’re doing?  Take this quiz to assess whether you are truly Brand Obsessed:

  1. When you’re on vacation, do you make detours to out-of-the-way shops to find out if they carry the brands you work with?
  2. Do you get especially excited when you see your brands outside your home country?
  3. Have you talked about trademark matters so much that family members now ask you why a store’s sign shows a “TM” notice rather than an encircled-R notice?
  4. Do family members also ask you “Why was Company X able to register that mark?  Isn’t that merely descriptive?”
  5. When you like someone’s clothing, do you ask “Who makes that?” and not “Where did you buy that?”
  6. Do you often try to identify the source of others’ handbags, shoes and wallets by looking at their shape, material and hardware, just because you think it’s fun?
  7. Do you clip “look for” or anti-genericide advertising from publications you read at home, so you can show them to the marketing team?
  8. Do you use the Trademark Office’s web site to look up brands you encountered on your personal shopping trips?
  9. Does your phone contain more photos of Trademark Office specimens than photos of loved ones?
  10. Does your phone contain more photos of potential infringement than photos of your dog or cat?

If you said “Yes” to 5 or more of the above, it’s confirmed… you are indeed Brand Obsessed.   Welcome to the ranks!