Sail On: Former Commodores Guitarist Fails to Establish Rights in Band’s Trademark

By Nicholas J. Krob

Who owns a band’s trademark when that band is composed of multiple people? And more importantly, what rights does a band member have in that trademark when they leave the band? Earlier this week, the Eleventh Circuit addressed these very questions in a case involving legendary funk/soul band the Commodores. The Commodores, famous for chart-topping […]

Cancellation of a registered trademark for non-use soon could be easier

According to Chief Administrative Trademark Judge Gerard F. Rogers in his blog post on the Director’ Forum last week, PTO found out through a pilot program that “more than half of registrations being maintained include at least some goods or services for which the registered mark is not actually being used.” “These registered trademarks that […]

Levi’s Sues Over Pocket “Tab”

Can you use of a piece of fabric no bigger than a fingernail to constitute a trademark infringement?  Levi’s appears to think so. Late last month, Levi Strauss & Co. filed a federal lawsuit in San Francisco against Vineyard Vines, LLC alleging the clothing company has been infringing Levi’s trademark rights by sewing a small […]

Domain Name Disputes: A UDRP Primer

Has someone registered a domain that is identical or strikingly similar to your brand name or trademark? What rights do you have and what legal remedies are available if you or your company find yourself in a dispute over a domain name? This article is intended to serve as a brief overview of domain name […]

What’s In A Name?

Theresa Earnhardt, widow to professional race car driver Dale Earnhardt and step-mother to Kerry Earnhardt, appealed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s decision that her stepson’s mark, EARNHARDT COLLECTION, was notas a whole primarily a surname. Theresa Earnhardt is the owner of trademark registrations and common law rights in the use of the mark DALE […]

Gene Simmons Attempts to Trademark Iconic Hand Symbol

Kiss lead singer, Gene Simmons, recently filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to register the famous rock ‘n’ roll “horns” hand gesture as a trademark. Simmons filed the application June 9th to register “a hand gesture with the index and small fingers extended upward and the thumb extended […]

Say What You Will About Trademarks

Simon Tam chose to name his band “The Slants” with the intent to reclaim the term and erase the denigrating connotations associated with it. However, he was confronted with the denial of his trademark application based on the disparagement clause of the Lanham Act. This raised an interesting issue of whether the disparagement clause violates […]

Does Play-Doh Smell Distinct? Hasbro Thinks So

Most of the time when we think of trademarks, we think of words, slogans, and logos.  But trademarks can be more than that.  Some companies have been able to obtain trademarks for colors.  For example, Tiffany and Co. has registrations for its Tiffany Blue, an example of which is Reg. No. 2,359,351. Similarly, 3M has a […]

‘Fame’ is Not All-Or-Nothing

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“CAFC”) vacated a decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (the “Board”) denying a petition by Joseph Phelps Vineyards, LLC for cancellation of a trademark held by Fairmont Holdings, LLC. The CAFC held that the Board used an incorrect standard when analyzing the ‘fame’ factor for […]

Prepping for Protection: First Steps to Developing an IP Strategy

Whether you are an individual, a start-up company, or an existing business, two of the hardest (and most important) questions are: “Do I have intellectual property?” and “How do I protect it?” First, having a qualified attorney will help make answering these questions significantly easier and they can help guide you through the development of […]