You’ve acquired a new trademark portfolio. Hooray! But wait … as you’re sorting through the marks you’re now handling, you notice some errors and inconsistencies in the owners’ information.
Continue reading “Correctable Errors in Trademark Owner Names”
We tend to think that trademarks, in general, are pretty special.
However, a “special” trademark application has a … well … special meaning to the PTO. The PTO normally examines applications in the order it receives them, which can take about three to four months. That said, there are two ways to make an application “special” so that the PTO will pull the application out of order and expedite its initial examination.
A trademark assignment is the transfer of ownership of a mark. This usually entails having the owner transfer all its rights, title and interest in a given mark to a third party.
Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well, imagine you’re not just assigning one trademark to a third party – instead you’re transferring an entire portfolio containing hundreds of marks in dozens of countries. Generally, this transfer of rights must be documented – or recorded – with the trademark office in every jurisdiction where marks have been assigned. Otherwise, the outdated Trademark Office records relating to the ownership of a mark could cause issues, like blocking new applications filed in the new owner’s name. The requirements for assigning trademarks and recording this transfer of rights often vary by jurisdiction, so handling the transfer of a global trademark portfolio can become a major undertaking.
You might remember from our “How Much Use Equals ‘Use’?” post that the USPTO can be picky when it comes to accepting proof that a brand is in use (and, of course, when we say “use,” we mean that special kind of “trademark use” that the USPTO is looking for – i.e., use of a brand in connection with products or services offered in commerce).
Luckily, owners of trademark applications based on proposed use have some time to develop and submit proof of use. After an initial 6-month period, a trademark owner may request up to five 6-month extensions before it has to file proof that its brand is in use (that’s a total of three years!). Of course, while taking advantage of these extensions might be helpful in some cases, the faster a trademark owner can submit an acceptable example of use, the faster its application can proceed to registration.
We think letters of protest are so great that we wrote our very first blog post about them.
You might remember from Tore DeBella’s post that we often file letters of protest in an attempt to persuade the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to refuse registration of third-party trademark applications. Such letters can help delay or even avoid having to file costly oppositions – if you follow the rules, that is. Some highlights of the rules are as follows.
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”
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”
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!)
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!
When it comes to trademarks, the phrase “use it or lose it” is fitting.
If a trademark is used properly, your rights in the mark can last forever. Fun fact: The oldest registered trademark in the USA is more than 130 years old, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (meaning it was registered in 1884)!
Other trademarks haven’t fared so well. For example, the mark DRY ICE used to function as a brand – meaning it distinguished a particular product from those sold by other businesses. Over time, however, consumers started using this mark incorrectly, and eventually understood it to be the generic name of the product itself rather than the source-indicating brand (i.e., all mist produced by solid carbon dioxide is now called “dry ice”). As a result, everyone – not just the trademark owner – can now use this mark to refer to the product.
So, how do you use a trademark “properly” to avoid losing these important rights? Let’s face it: You’re in a long-term relationship with your brand, so it’s important to give it a little love. The key is remembering that trademarks are special. What we mean is that trademarks are different from ordinary words, so they should be treated as such. The more a trademark owner can do to make its mark stand out from the words around it, the stronger that mark will be.
Brand owners may be able to use copyright law, in addition to trademark law, to better protect their brands. “Hey, wait a minute,” you say. “I thought this was a trademark blog!” Well, it’s our job to make sure every aspect of our clients’ brands is protected in the best way possible—even if that means venturing into the world of copyright law (and patent law . . . but that’s for another post).
Copyright law protects original works, such as writings, pictures and works of art, which have been expressed in a tangible way. Trademark law, on the other hand, protects words, phrases, symbols and designs that identify and distinguish the source of products and services.
