The Chinese New Year is generally seen by those celebrating it as a time for reflection, change and improvement. For the 2025 Chinese New Year, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (“CNIPA”) also seems to have taken the opportunity to
trade mark
Reputation Reaches Across Borders: TTAB’s Ruling Charts New Course for Foreign Marks

The Board’s Decision
In a significant precedential ruling, Plumrose Holding Ltd. v. USA Ham LLC, No. 91272970, 2025 WL 248763, at *1 (Jan. 17, 2025), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) has expanded protection for foreign trademark owners…
10th Circuit Moves Forward with Supreme Court Directive: Domestic Anchor Required for Lanham Act Application

** Drew Engel, a Summer Associate in NRF’s Minneapolis office, assisted with this article. Drew is supervised by attorneys who are licensed in the state of Texas.**
The Tenth Circuit’s recent decision in Hetronic Int’l Inc. v. Hetronic Germany GmbH…
Supreme Court Rules Section 2(c) of Lanham Act Constitutional and TRUMP TOO SMALL Not Registrable

** Logan Woodward, a Summer Associate in NRF’s Minneapolis Office, assisted with this article. Logan is supervised by attorneys who are licensed in the State of Texas. **
In June 2024, the Supreme Court held in Vidal v. Elster that…
Trademarks and NFTs: The battle over “MetaBirkin” NFTs continues

** This article was drafted by Logan Woodward, a Summer Associate in NRF’s Minneapolis Office. Logan is supervised by attorneys who are licensed in the State of Texas.
The MetaBirkin dispute continues before the United States Court of Appeals for…
The TTAB’s Periodic Reminder that Deadlines Matter

In a decision earlier this year, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) dismissed as moot a cancellation proceeding filed by Men’s Wearhouse, LLC against WKND NYC LLC for the mark

(hereinafter, “MW MRWKND”) because Men’s Wearhouse filed the cancellation…
EVERYBODY is VS RACISM, so the Mark Fails as a Source Identifier

In a recent decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the decision of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) to deny registration of “EVERYBODY VS RACISM” because the “public is unlikely to associate the…
Black Card Can Register FOLLOW THE LEADER Mark

In a presidential decision, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) held that Black Card, LLC can register FOLLOW THE LEADER because the phrase operates as a source identifier and not as an unregistrable common phrase.
Black Card applied to…
Sweeter than Watermelon: When are Fruit Designs Functional?

The Third Circuit affirmed the cancellation of plaintiff PIM Brands, Inc.’s (“PIM”) trademark for “the shape of a wedge for candy, with an upper green section with white speckles, followed by a narrow middle white section and followed by a…
Reverse Confusion: A Lesser Known Approach to Analyzing Likelihood of Confusion

Home Chef continues to lose the battle to stop Grubhub from using, what they assert, is a confusingly similar logo for food-related services.

Home Chef began using its HC Home Mark and Home Chef Home Logo
(collectively, the “HC Marks”)…