"notice of trademark opposition"

Third-parties routinely seek extensions of time to file a Notice of Opposition against pending trademark applications.  The time to oppose a trademark application is 30 days from the date of publication.   An additional 30-day extension will be granted upon request, while 90 day extensions must allege good cause.

Below is a list of representative trademark

Here’s another example of how the naming of trademarks is often influenced by references to pop-culture.

In a recent U.S. trademark opposition decision, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled that the mark SUNNY HAZE for beer was confusingly similar to PURPLE HAZE, for inter alia, beer, so as to prevent registration.  In the case, Abita Brewing Company LLC v. Mother Earth Brewing, LLC, the Board was faced with considering whether the Sunny Haze mark of Applicant for “beer, and brew malt-based alcoholic beverage in the nature of beer” was confusingly similar to Opposer’s Purple Haze mark for “beer, ale, lager, and malt liquor.”  In its Notice of Opposition, the Opposer also relied on two of its other registrations for the Purple Haze mark for “shirts, caps, headwear, and beverageware.”Continue Reading Purple Haze is a Strong Trademark for Beer but Apparently not for Hendrix

Every in-house counsel knows the importance of protecting his or her client’s trademark portfolio from potentially confusingly similar trademarks.  So how do the best in-house counsel put their limited legal budgets to good use when considering when (or when not) to file a trademark opposition?

To quote the knight in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: they “choose wisely.”

Here are some tips on how to execute a simple and effective, U.S. trademark portfolio protection strategy.Continue Reading Trademark Opposition Strategies for In House-Counsel

Take cover, a trademark gunfight is brewing!

The First Shot: Duke University

John Wayne, our matinee idol, the symbol of the American West, is being tested once again.  No, not on the silver screen, but before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.  His antagonist?  Duke University, best known for stellar academics, bucolic settings, and

A substantial number of trademark opposition cases before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board are settled prior to a final determination on the merits.   The Board encourages parties to engage in settlement discussions early in the process, and has made these discussions part of the mandatory discovery conference between the parties.

Do the parties take