In The Pennsylvania State University v. Vintage Brand, LLC, 2022 U.S.P.Q.2d 653 (M.D. Pa. 2022 The Pennsylvania State University (“Penn State”) sued Vintage Brand, LLC (“Vintage”), an online retailer of screen-printed goods featuring logos and images, for violations of
brand protection
TTAB prohibits the County of Orange from registering unofficial seal and badge designs

TTAB rules RANCHERO and EL RANCHERO marks confusingly similar

In a non-precedential decision, the TTAB held that use of the word and stylized mark EL RANCHERO for “food products made of corn, namely, corn chips, tortillas and tostadas” were confusingly similar to the word and design marks RANCHERO for…
PepsiCo wins appeal over MTN DEW RISE ENERGY trademark dispute

PepsiCo. Inc. recently convinced the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to throw out a preliminary injunction granted by a New York federal judge last fall that prevented PepsiCo from using MTN DEW RISE ENERGY on its canned…
Authorization of certain IP-related transactions in Russia
The ink was not even dry on the update regarding Russia-related IP issues that we published last week, when we learned of two more major developments.
The USPTO recently issued the following statement on engagement with Russia, the Eurasian Patent…
Key current considerations in handling IP rights in Russia
February 24, 2022, Russian troops poured over the border into Ukraine, unleashing unimaginable human suffering and widespread destruction of property. Russia’s aggression also ignited negative consequences in the international economy that continue to increase and cascade throughout all sectors and…
TTAB rules reckless disregard for the truth constitutes fraud
In Chutter, Inc. v. Great Management Group, LLC, a precedential decision, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) held that recklessly false representations made during the course of the trademark application process satisfy the level of intent required to…
Spotify successfully opposes POTIFY applications based on dilution by blurring
In its first precedential decision of 2022, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) sustained two oppositions filed by Spotify AB (“Spotify”) against registration of POTIFY for use in connection with an online ordering platform and community for medical and…
Choc it out: Lindt’s golden bunny granted trade mark recognition in the EU
It is well-established that a shape or colour alone can function as a trade mark, that is, a badge of origin indicating to consumers the source of the relevant goods or services. However, in practice, achieving the level of ubiquity…
Federal Circuit upholds constitutionality of TTAB judges
This week the Federal Circuit rejected a constitutional challenge to the Secretary of Commerce’s appointment of administrative judges to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). The decision comes on the heels…



