Top Ten Most Important Trademark Cases

By Stephen B. Schott Patent attorneys appreciate patent law’s rigidity. Unlike many areas of the law, there are hard rules and unextendible deadlines. In some ways, this inflexibility reflects the personality of the scientists and engineers who benefit from it. But if patent law is predictable and rigid, trademark law is its antithesis: unpredictable and changeable. Its practitioners…

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“Hail to the…” Redskins Federal Trademarks Canceled as Disparaging

By Stephen B. Schott In a 2-1 split decision, the US Patent and Trademark Appeals Board canceled several trademarks owned by American football’s Washington Redskins today. The marks included: WASHINGTON REDSKINS, THE REDSKINS, several stylized variations of REDSKINS, and one mark whose commercial value seems dubious: THE REDSKINETTES.The Washington Redskins have been under increasing pressure from activists…

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