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.
Filing a trademark example of use in the USA? You think, piece of cake. At this point you have jumped through the application hoops, chosen and narrowed your classes of goods and services appropriately and are ready to get the coveted “circle R.” You jump on your website, see the mark clearly used on the first page, hit “print,” and send it to the USPTO.
Except…
Wait, how can use not be considered “use”? As it turns out, simply displaying a mark is often not enough. Below are some tips for decoding three common specimen rejections issued by the USPTO and finding a suitable example of use. Continue reading “How Much Use Equals “Use”? Decoding Common Specimen Refusals issued by the USPTO”
On January 18, the Supreme Court will conduct oral argument in Lee v. Tam, a much-discussed case presenting a First Amendment challenge to the disparagement provision of Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act. The Supreme Court is reviewing a Federal Circuit en banc decision that the disparagement provision is unconstitutional. Later that day, the American University College of Law Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP) will be hosting and webcasting a live panel discussion of the Supreme Court argument.
Drinker Biddle partner Jesse Witten will participate in the panel, along with other attorneys for the parties and amici. Mr. Witten filed an amicus brief on behalf of Amanda Blackhorse and other Native American individuals who have sought cancellation of the trademark registrations of the Washington NFL team.
You are invited to attend the panel discussion or to watch the event live by webinar. The discussion will occur from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m., Eastern, on January 18 at 4300 Nebraska Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., followed by a reception. For more information, please visit the PIJIP website: http://www.pijip.org/tam/
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”
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”
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”
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”
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)”
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”
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!
