Gibbons Law Alert

Gibbons Law Alert

Category: Trademarks

Generative AI in USPTO Practice: Key Considerations Under the USPTO’s New Guidance

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Posted in Patent / Trademarks / USPTO

On May 21, 2024

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Midjourney and others, have made waves across various industries and the legal profession is no exception. Specialized publications and recent news are replete of examples of professionals in all fields increasingly turning to these tools to streamline their work. However, the use of generative AI in legal practice also raises special concerns about the potential for errors, bias, and ethical violations. In recent high-profile cases, the use of ChatGPT by attorneys came under scrutiny when their court filing were found to contain false statements and references to non-existent legal authorities. In one case, two lawyers were sanctioned for submitting non-existent AI-generated judicial opinions with fake quotes and citations, without properly verifying the accuracy of such citations. See Mata v. Avianca., No. 22-CV-1461 (PKC), 2023 WL 4114965 (S.D.N.Y. June 22, 2023). This incident highlights the need for lawyers to exercise caution and maintain human oversight when using generative AI tools. Building upon the growing awareness of the pervasive use of generative AI, and its gradual adoption in the legal profession, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has taken steps to address the use of AI tools in practice before the agency. In February 2024, USPTO Director Katherine K. Vidal issued a memorandum to...

The Russo-Ukrainian War’s Implication on Intellectual Property Rights

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Posted in Patent / Trademarks

On April 11, 2022

Following the 2014 so-called “Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity” and the Russian Federation’s annexation of Crimea, a major escalation of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War occurred in 2022, culminating in the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The invasion triggered Europe’s largest refugee and humanitarian crisis since World War II, causing an unprecedented amount of human suffering and countless civilian casualties.

Trademark Modernization Act Becomes Law, Easing the Burden of Trademark Owners to Obtain Injunctive Relief and Curbing Trademark Registrations That Falsely Claim Use of a Mark

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Posted in Intellectual Property / Trademarks / USPTO

On January 14, 2021

As part of the recent COVID-19 relief and government funding bill (“the Consolidated Appropriations Act”), Congress introduced significant changes to U.S. trademark law. The Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (TMA) was signed into law on December 27, 2020. The Act intends to curb trademark registrations that falsely claim use of a mark, addresses the false-use-claim problem by creating new procedures to improve examination effectiveness and efficiency, and promotes remedies designed to protect consumers in trademark cases. The TMA, which becomes effective one year after the date of its enactment, amends the Lanham Act by changing certain procedures in trademark prosecution before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), providing new avenues for canceling fraudulent registrations, and clarifying the standard for obtaining injunctive relief in trademark litigation. The key takeaways from the Act are discussed below. Third-Party Submission of Evidence of Non-Use: Section 3 of the Act provides for third-party submission of evidence during examination of an application for federal registration of a trademark. In particular, codifying the practice of Letters of Protest, Section 3(a) allows third parties to submit to the USPTO certain evidence relevant to the examination of a trademark application for consideration in deciding whether a trademark registration should be issued. Relevant evidence can relate to any ground on which an examiner...

Organizations Commit to Share Their Intellectual Property to Support the Fight Against the Coronavirus

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Posted in Copyright / Patent / Trademarks

On May 5, 2020

The Open COVID Pledge calls on organizations around the world to make their patents and copyrights freely available to combat the coronavirus. The Pledge was developed by the Open COVID Coalition (“Coalition”), an international group of scientists and lawyers, seeking to accelerate the rapid development and deployment of diagnostics, therapeutics, medical equipment, and software solutions to this urgent public health crisis. Many major technology companies and academic organizations have “signed onto” the Pledge. The Pledge, however, does not appear to be as popular with biopharmaceutical companies. Am I eligible? How do I make the Pledge? Anyone who holds intellectual property rights is eligible by either issuing a public statement making the Pledge or issuing a press release and notifying the Coalition. What IP is covered? Pledging parties may share any of their intellectual property rights, including patents and copyrights relating to the coronavirus pandemic. The Pledge does not cover trademarks or trade secrets. How do I implement the Pledge? The Coalition has published three standard licenses. A pledging party may adopt one of these standard licenses, adopt its own compatible license, or adopt an alternative license. What are some of the key terms of the standard licenses? Grant: Simply stated, the standard licenses grant a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use and commercialize the intellectual...

US Patent and Trademark Office Measures Taken in View of COVID-19 Outbreak: What Applicants and You Should Know

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Posted in Patent / Trademarks / USPTO

On March 20, 2020

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has implemented several measures over the past week to assist patent and trademark applicants in view of the COVID-19 outbreak and its disruption to businesses. The USPTO stresses that, until further notice, USPTO operations will continue without interruption. Below are the key USPTO measures and what you should know if you have a pending patent or trademark application, are planning to file such an application, or are involved actively in a PTAB proceeding. Unlike the European Patent Office and Canadian Intellectual Property Office, which have eased the burden on their patent applicants by extending all deadlines until at least the earliest April 17 and April 1, 2020, respectively, the USPTO has offered more limited relief. On March 16, 2020, the USPTO announced that it will not extend any deadlines, including new and existing patent and trademark application, prosecution, and PTAB deadlines. Instead, the USPTO will waive revival petition fees for those whose patent applications were deemed abandoned or had reexamination proceedings terminated when the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak led to a missed deadline. This waiver will also apply to trademark applications labeled abandoned or whose registrations were canceled or expired based on missed deadlines. The USPTO has stated that it “considers the effects of the Coronavirus outbreak”...

Supreme Court Invalidates Ban on Immoral or Scandalous Trademarks

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Posted in Licensing / Trademarks

On July 8, 2019

In a long-awaited decision, Iancu v. Brunetti, the Supreme Court held – in a 6-3 opinion delivered by Justice Kagan – that the Lanham Act’s prohibition on registration of “immoral or scandalous” trademarks violates the First Amendment. The decision completes a trilogy of cases that, in recent years, stirred up significant interest on the interplay between freedom of speech and certain Lanham Act trademark prohibitions. Initially, the constitutionality of the bar against registration of disparaging marks was brought to nationwide media attention through the Redskins case (Blackhorse v. Pro-Football, Inc), previously reported on by Gibbons, which culminated the legal effort by Native American tribes to delineate the term “redskin” as an offensive and disparaging racial slur, resulting in the initial cancellation of the eponymous mark owned by the Washington Redskins. Pending review by the Supreme Court, the Blackhorse case was cut short by another case, Matal v. Tam. In that 2017 decision, the Court struck down a Lanham Act provision that prevented registration for marks that are deemed “disparaging,” thus rendering moot any further review of Blackhorse. Because the Court in Matal had already declared the “disparaging” bar unconstitutional, it comes as no surprise that the Section 2(a) prohibition (15 U.S.C. § 1052(a)) on registration of “immoral or scandalous” matter fared similarly under the scrutiny of...

Reversing the First Circuit, the Supreme Court Holds That Rejection of an Executory Trademark License Does Not Bar the Licensee From Continuing to Use the Mark

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Posted in Licensing / Trademarks

On May 29, 2019

In Mission Product Holdings v. Tempnology, the Supreme Court, in an 8-1 opinion delivered by Justice Kagan, held that a debtor’s rejection of a trademark license under Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code does not terminate the licensee’s rights to use the trademark under the agreement. Tempnology made clothing and accessories designed to stay cool during exercise, and marketed those products under the brand name “Coolcore.” In 2012, Tempnology gave Mission Product Holdings an exclusive license to distribute certain Coolcore products in the United States and granted Mission a non-exclusive global license to use the Coolcore trademarks. The agreement was set to expire in July 2016. In September 2015, however, Tempnology filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, and rejected the license agreement under Section 365(a). The Bankruptcy Court held that Tempnology’s rejection of the agreement revoked Mission’s right to use the marks. The Bankruptcy Appellate Panel reversed. The First Circuit rejected the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel’s view and reinstated the Bankruptcy Court’s decision. The First Circuit reasoned that Congress, in enacting Section 365(n) in 1988, “expressly listed six kinds of intellectual property,” but not trademarks. The First Circuit thus held that trademark licenses are categorically unprotected from court-approved rejection. The Supreme Court granted certiorari, and reversed the First Circuit. Section 365(a) of...

Washington Redskins Must Wait Their Turn for High Court

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Posted in Trademarks

On October 11, 2016

On October 3, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would not take up an appeal by the Washington Redskins regarding the constitutionality of a Lanham Act provision that prevents registration of trademarks that disparage “persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols.” See 15 U.S.C. §1052(a).

Alabama District Court Orders TTAB to Vacate Precedential Decision

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Posted in Trademarks / USPTO

On April 6, 2016

Last year’s Supreme Court’s decision in B&B Hardware raised the stakes in opposition proceedings when it stated that TTAB rulings may have preclusive effects in subsequent federal district court litigation. As litigants and practitioners are still assessing the consequences of that landmark decision, an unexpected confrontation took place between the Board and the Federal District.

California Court Rules on Proper Venue for Wrongful Seizure Claims

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Posted in Trademark Counterfeiting / Trademarks

On February 24, 2016

A federal district court in the Northern District of California has recently given litigants in trademark counterfeiting cases guidance on where wrongful seizure claims under the ex parte provisions of the Lanham Act may be brought. The court ruled in United Tactical Systems, LLC v. Real Action Paintball, Inc. that wrongful seizure claims may be brought in any federal court, and not just the court that ordered the seizure. The case should be watched by accused infringers who have been the target of an ex parte seizure under the Lanham Act.

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