Author Archives: John DiGiacomo

In early September of 2017, it was reported that Equifax Inc., one of the country’s three leading credit reporting services, was subject to a cyberattack that resulted in the access by the hackers of financial and personal information of more than 143 million U.S. consumers. According to Equifax, the hacking occurred from mid-May through July […]

In trademark law, coexistence agreements are contracts whereby two trademark owners agree to use their similar marks, but agree to limitations. For example, the two owners might agree that their respective goods or services will be offered in different geographic areas. A consent agreement is a type of a coexistence agreement that is usually shorter […]

Many are familiar with trademark registration under federal law. Some may not know that trademark registration is also available under state laws. In general, registering a trademark under state law is unnecessary, but there are some circumstances in which state trademark registration has value – when federal registration is not allowed and when your trademark […]

Recently, Senator Christopher Coons (D-Del) introduced the STRONGER Patents Act of 2017. So far, this is the only legislation introduced in this Congress addressing any sort of patent reform. The proposal would significantly change inter partes review proceedings before the Patent and Trademark Appeal Board (“PTAB”). What is an Inter Partes Review? An inter partes […]

As we discussed in the last few weeks, privacy is repeatedly in the news. Washington lawmakers are trying again to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Stored Communications Act (the “SCA”), and the Pen Registry Act. In addition, last month the US Supreme Court granted certiorari in the case of Carpenter v. United States. […]

What is Commercial Disparagement? In the broadest sense, commercial disparagement involves advertising or other public statement including  false or misleading information about a business that discourages consumers from buying from or dealing with that business. There is no requirement that the other business be your competitor, although that is the context in which problems most […]

What is the Nice Agreement and what are international trademark classes? Filing for a trademark through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) is probably a mysterious process for most people. There are several types of trademark applications, including international trademark classes, and many different filing bases.   Given the importance of a brand […]

Filing for patent protection with the USPTO is probably somewhat familiar to inventors and businesses here in the United States. However, the options for seeking international patent protections are probably less well known. Consequently, it is important to seek the help of skilled and dedicated patent attorneys to help you evaluate the pros and cons […]

Parties file oppositions against pending trademark applications for a wide variety of reasons. Often, a party filing an opposition or requesting an extension of time to do so will contact the Applicant before filing or at the same time.  Whether an opposition is expected or not, there are often win-win scenarios that savvy parties can […]

Because trademark protection is territorial in nature, managing an international trademark portfolio is complex. Your company may have one trademark or hundreds, in either  case you need experienced and skilled trademark legal counsel who will help you prioritize and protect your portfolio. The general issues for managing any trademark portfolio are: Creation (or discovery) of […]