The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board recently released its TTAB filing statistics for fiscal year 2018.   These updated figures include year-to-year changes in the filing of appeals, notices of oppositions, and petitions for cancellations.  It also provides useful information on the disposition of cases.

Highlights include the following:  (percentage in parentheses signifies change over 2017)

What is Trademark Opposition?

Trademark opposition proceedings are civil litigations before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).

The following trademark opposition checklist will help you determine whether your company should bring a trademark opposition proceeding against a trademark applicant.

Companies that wish to enforce their trademark rights through TTAB proceedings should take into

 In the trademark opposition case, Halo Trademarks Limited v. Halo 2 Cloud LLC,
Trademark imagethe Opposer opposed the intent to use application of Applicant’s mark HALO  for handbags, briefcases,  electric adapters and a wide variety of other business accessories on the ground of likelihood of confusion under Section 2(d) of the Trademark Act.  As the basis

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

When a company discovers that a competitor has filed a trademark application for a brand name that may be deemed confusingly similar to its own, it has an effective alternative to expensive U.S. District Court litigation: oppose the trademark application by filing a notice of opposition with the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”).

Here are 3 considerations when considering to file a trademark opposition proceeding:Continue Reading Opposing a Trademark Application: Getting Started

In an effort to facilitate case management and to reduce litigation expenses, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board permits certain motions to be hear via telephone conference.  These include motions in the pleading phase, discovery phase, and/or the trial phase of a trademark opposition or trademark cancellation proceeding.

Examples of motions that the board may