News & Analysis as of

Trademark Litigation

Fenwick & West LLP

Ninth Circuit Prescribes New Hearing for Damages in AirDoctor Default Judgment

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The plaintiff AirDoctor sued the defendant under the Lanham Act for advertising and selling filters for use in AirDoctor purifiers. While the defendant advertised its filters as “compatible” and “replacements” for the...more

Felicello Law PC

What to Expect in a Copyright or Trademark Infringement Lawsuit

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No matter what type of business you are in, trademark and copyright law can have significant effects on success and growth of your business. Both of these areas of law provide important rights over the intellectual property...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

With Trademark Claims Against Gray Market Goods, the Devil Is in the Details

When a third party purchases a manufacturer's goods intended for distribution outside of the U.S., and then imports those goods into and sells them to consumers in the U.S., the products are authentic, and so trademark...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Damages on Default Judgment Not Barred by Absence of Precise Amount in Complaint

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded a district court decision, allowing collection of actual damages in a default judgment where the complaint only sought damages “in an amount to be determined...more

McDermott Will & Emery

No Green Light to Register Color Mark for Medical Gloves

Addressing for the first time the test for determining whether a color mark is generic, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit adopted the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s Milwaukee test as the appropriate standard,...more

Proskauer - The Patent Playbook

Value and Risk of Overlapping Intellectual Property Protections

A well-orchestrated intellectual property strategy requires carefully and thoughtfully leveraging copyright, trademark, and patent laws, as highlighted by a recent decision handed down by the United Sates Court of Appeals for...more

ArentFox Schiff

It’s Not Easy Being Green (If You Are a Color Trademark for Medical Gloves)

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In refusing registration of the color green for “chloroprene medical examination gloves,” the Federal Circuit adopted — for the first time — a legal test for genericness of color marks. The decision underscores the high...more

Stinson LLP

Penn State Victory Maintains Uneasy Status Quo in Sports Merchandising Industry

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Most major universities have developed extremely lucrative business empires by exploiting the use of their trademarks and trade dress on apparel and merchandise, among other things. They have done so on the theory that the...more

Irwin IP LLP

Finding The Right Fit: The Test for Color Marks 

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In Re: PT Medisafe Technologies, No. 2023-1573 (Fed. Cir. April 29, 2025) - On April 29, 2025, the Federal Circuit adopted a test from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) for determining whether a color mark is...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

How Businesses Can Enforce Trademark Registrations

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Trademark registrations are a great tool for business owners to protect their brand identity. Unlike some other forms of intellectual property protection, trademarks can last forever provided that they are actively used and...more

ArentFox Schiff

‘GETCHA POPCORN READY’ Lawsuit: The Trademark Showdown Between Terrell Owens and TMZ

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National Football League (NFL) Hall of Famer Terrell Owens recently filed a lawsuit in Illinois state court against TMZ, accusing the news and media company of unauthorized use of his trademark, GETCHA POPCORN READY....more

Jones Day

Gloves Off: Court Says No to Green Trademark Protection

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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that the test for determining whether a word mark is generic also applies to color marks....more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

When Surfboards and Superstars Collide: How to Avoid a Wipeout [or Mayhem]

Pop icon Lady Gaga is no stranger to making waves, but a new lawsuit initiated by California-based surfboard company Lost International (aka Lost Surfboards), shows that even superstars can find themselves navigating choppy...more

Harris Beach Murtha PLLC

Fourth Circuit Confirms: Physical Distance Does Not Avoid Trademark Confusion

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a decision confirming that using similar names for businesses in the same industry can result in a likelihood of confusion despite the physical distance of the entities. In...more

Weintraub Tobin

(Podcast) The Briefing: Trademark Mayhem – Lady Gaga Gets Sued for Trademark Infringement

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Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” tour has sparked legal trouble. In this episode of The Briefing, Scott Hervey and James Kachmar analyze a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by surf brand, Lost International, which claims Gaga’s use of...more

Weintraub Tobin

The Briefing: Trademark Mayhem – Lady Gaga Gets Sued for Trademark Infringement

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Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” tour has sparked legal trouble. In this episode of The Briefing, Scott Hervey and James Kachmar analyze a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by surf brand, Lost International, which claims Gaga’s use of...more

Fish & Richardson

More Is More: Ensure Your Mark Is Protectable Before You Enforce

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The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Heritage Alliance v. American Policy Roundtable, Case No. 24-1155 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 9, 2025), provides a salient reminder to brand owners seeking to build value in descriptive trademarks...more

Erise IP

The Surge of Gulf of America Trademarks: A Unique Legal Landscape of Opportunities and Hurdles

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Since the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has seen a surge in trademark applications for the phrase. Seventeen new applications have been filed...more

Knobbe Martens

The Votes Are In: Highly Descriptive Marks Are Difficult to Protect

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HERITAGE ALLIANCE V. AMERICAN POLICY ROUNDTABLE - Before Prost, Taranto, and Stark. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Continuous-use evidence is not necessarily prima facie evidence of acquired distinctiveness...more

Fish & Richardson

Federal Circuit Finds Beer Trademark Application Nothing but "Chicken Scratch"

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In yet another recent example of the need for care in establishing a full record when appealing the denial of a trademark application, on April 14, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the denial of...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Royal Play Penalty: No Standing in the End (Zone)

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The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal from the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board, finding that the appellant lacked standing because it failed to allege any actual and particularized injury. Michael...more

Knobbe Martens

Fireball Frenzy: When First Registering a Mark, Genericness of a Mark Is Determined at the Time of Registration

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BULLSHINE DISTILLERY LLC v. SAZERAC BRANDS, LLC - Before Moore, Reyna and Taranto. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In assessing genericness, the TTAB considers how the mark was understood at the time of...more

Irwin IP LLP

Your “Chicken Scratch” May Be Confusing 

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In Re R.S. Lipman Brewing Co., LLC, 2025 WL 1099603 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 14, 2025) - Be careful when selecting a name for your product, otherwise you might find yourself cooked at the United States Patent and Trademark Office...more

International Lawyers Network

Beauty is in the Eye…Lash Extension: Beauty Salon’s Actions to Remove Two Trade Marks Dismissed by the Australian Trade Marks...

A recent trade mark stoush in the eyelash extension market highlights the importance of registering trade marks in all states of Australia, and ensuring that trade marks that intend to be used are registered as soon as...more

International Lawyers Network

Can Trademarks Be Too Descriptive for Registration?

Suppose you want to register a trademark that identifies a source of goods/services for your business. What if the trademark describes an ingredient, quality, feature, function, characteristic, or purpose of your...more

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