When your company is faced with a trademark opposition, there are many misconceptions of what it is and what it is not. Be sure to have a clear understanding of what to expect to help guide your decision making process.
Governing Rules. Trademark oppositions in the United States are heard before the U.S. Trademark Trial
Each year, companies spend millions of dollars to protect their valuable brand names from competitors.
While a majority of such enforcement efforts take place online and in federal courts, one of the most effective tools for trademark enforcement resides within the confines of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: the trademark opposition.
Each year, thousands of companies seek to register their trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. But there is an interesting fact that nationally-advertised trademark registration services do not publish: over 33% of trademark applications get refused by the U.S. Trademark Office.
That’s right: obtaining a trademark registration is more complicated than LegalZoom would like you to believe.
Even after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has preliminarily approved a trademark application, any company or individual who believes that it may be injured by the registration has the right to object to the trademark application. This is done by preparing and filing a Notice of Opposition with the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.Continue Reading Receive a Notice Of Opposition? You’re not Alone.
The resolution of trademark opposition and trademark cancellation motions by telephone conference is discretionary with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Generally, the Board may schedule a conference at the request of one or more parties, or on the Board’s own initiative.
Contacting the Trademark Board attorney. If a party believes that a matter may
Once a trademark opposition proceeding has been commenced, there are several procedural and substantive means by which the parties may bring about an amicable resolution of their dispute. Knowing how to effectively negotiate a favorable outcome is essential.
Substantive strategies to settle a trademark opposition proceeding include:
1. By Amendment: by narrowing the identification
A trademark opposition is the result of a third–party filing a notice of opposition against a trademark owner’s application for registration of their trademark. A notice of opposition must be filed within 30 days after publication of the trademark application the official Gazette of the United States patent and trademark office.
The notice of opposition
A trademark opposition proceeding is commenced by timely filing a Notice of opposition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. According to USPTO rules, any person who believes that he/she may be damaged may file an opposition against a pending trademark application. While the term “any person” is construed broadly for purposes of filing
It’s quite often been said that “ignorance of the law” is no excuse. This is particularly true in the case of U.S. trademark opposition attorneys and trademark cancellation lawyers who practice before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Under U.S. law and federal regulations, all U.S. trademark opposition and petition to cancel proceedings are
Many companies facing a trademark opposition are unfamiliar with the ramifications of a notice of opposition and how it could impact their business. Here are some things to remember when your trademark application is opposed:
Trademark Oppositions are Civil Litigation
An opposition proceeding is a form of civil litigation that is heard before the Trademark
As a trademark opposition attorney, I have first-hand knowledge of trademark bullying tactics that are designed to outspend and harass small business trademark applicants into abandoning their trademark application. The practice also spills into federal court actions for trademark infringement, cyberquatting, and other related matters. This phenonemnon is very real.
As part of the Trademark