Category: Trademarks

The trademark infringement test is an umbrella term for several factors that courts use to assess confusion. The court will analyze and weigh each factor, determining if consumers in the marketplace are likely confused by both brands’ marks when they compete with one another–marketplace context being key here because it varies depending on case facts! […]

As a trademark attorney I often try to come up with good ways to explain the intricacies of the law to my clients. Whenever I work with a new trademark client we discuss ideas for naming their business and potential problems they might have in using a trademark and obtaining a registration. There are lots […]

Most business owners know it is important to register a trademark to uniquely identify their products and services in a crowded marketplace. A protected trademark sets you apart from the competition, helps drive traffic and sales, keeps customers loyal to a brand, and can influence consumer purchasing decisions. But wait – there’s more! (sound familiar?) […]

Properly cared for, your trademark can develop into the most valuable asset you own. At a gathering of staff from several Coca-Cola bottling plants, a senior executive reportedly declared that “the company could lose all its plants, lose all its staff, lose its access to the sources of its raw materials, lose its capital and […]

Picking a mark to represent your brand can be one of the most important decisions you make. Think about the brands we see everyday. Apple. Coca Cola. Microsoft. These are immediately identifiable both with the company and the products they produce. Just how strong is your trademark? On one end of the spectrum, are descriptive […]

Most nations with fully-developed trademark legal frameworks allow for opposition proceedings with regard to newly filed applications for trademarks. Most jurisdictions, like the United States, provide that opposition proceedings shall occur during the registration process, prior to issuance of the relevant Certificate of Registration. However, about 10 jurisdictions allow for opposition proceedings ONLY post-grant of […]

Trademark protection in the United States is based on “use in commerce.” Sometimes, competing businesses arrive at the same branding concept at about the same time, raising questions of trademark priority. With respect to trademark priority, as discussed below, too much secrecy can be risky. Many businesses legitimately want to shroud in secrecy various aspects […]

Lessons in Trademarking Trade Dress The long-running legal battle between Samsung and Apple over the shape of their respective smart phones provides some interesting lessons regarding trade dress law and how common law trade dress rights work. See news article here. Apple vs. Samsung: Design Patents and Trademarks for Apple’s iPhone In 2007, Apple, Inc. […]

We wrote recently about registering trademarks in China and the importance of not getting “hustled” by trademark squatters. See here. This is a follow-up article proving some additional information on the China system of registering trademarks. There a some similarities and large differences between the China system and the trademark system in the United States. […]

Many people are aware that the Lanham Act allows you to register a trademark. Many are less familiar with the fact that there are two registers: the Principal Register and the Supplemental Register. The Supplemental Register is governed by Sections 23-28 of the Lanham Act, codified at 15 U.S.C. §§ 1091-1096. What is the Supplemental […]