cbe16 - battle of the brands: avoiding common trademark pitfalls
TRANSCRIPT
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Magic Hat v.
West Sixth
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
In re Bull Creek Brewing
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Sierra Nevada v.
Fort George
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Franciscan Vineyards v. HBO
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Anheuser-Busch v.
Natty Greene’s
Brewing Company
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Elements Spirits
(KAH) v. Iconic
Brands (Sangre de
Vida)
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Lost Coast v.
Aviator
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Sazerac v. Crosby
Lakes
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
New Belgium v.
Oasis Texas
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Sixpoint v.
Renegade
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Sam Adams, etc. v. Left Hand
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Coronado v. Maritime
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Lagunitas v. Sierra
Nevada
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
In re Blackhawk winery
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Atlas Brewing v. Atlas Brew Works
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Anchor Steam
v. Drop Anchor
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Sazerac v.
Stout Brewing
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Anheuser-Busch v.
Natty Greene’s
Brewing Company
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
In re Bull Creek Brewing
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Elements Spirits
(KAH) v. Iconic
Brands (Sangre de
Vida)
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Sierra Nevada v.
Fort George
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Magic Hat v.
West Sixth
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Franciscan Vineyards v. HBO
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Lost Coast v.
Aviator
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Sixpoint v.
Renegade
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Sam Adams, etc. v. Left Hand
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Sazerac v. Crosby
Lakes
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Lagunitas v. Sierra
Nevada
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
New Belgium v.
Oasis Texas
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Coronado v. Maritime
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
In re Blackhawk winery
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Anchor Steam
v. Drop Anchor
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Sazerac v.
Stout Brewing
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
Atlas Brewing v. Atlas Brew Works
Battle of the Brands:Avoiding Common Trademark Pitfalls
Chris McElwain
I.
What’s a trademark?
II.
Choosing a trademark
III.
Protecting your trademark
IV.
Enforcing your trademark
V.
Q&A
I. What’s a trademark?
Trademarks identify the source of
goods and services
Trademarks differ from patents
and copyrights
Trademarks differ from domain
names and corporate names
What’s a trademark?Trademarks commonly take the form
of words or images or both
What’s a trademark?
However, trademarks can also take
less traditional forms: shapes, colors,
sounds or even smells
What’s a trademark?
Elements Spirits
(KAH) v. Iconic
Brands (Sangre de
Vida)
What’s a trademark?Design Mark
Standard Character Mark
CompositeMark
Stylized Mark
House Mark
Product Mark
II. Choosing a trademark
Trademark Pitfalls Choosing a Weak Mark Choosing an Infringing
Mark
Choosing a trademark
Trademarks vary in strength:
Generic
Descriptive
Suggestive
Arbitrary
Fanciful
Examples:• Apple (apples)• Smart Phones• Aspirin• Escalator• The Container Store• Cartoon Network• Sports Illustrated• Best Buy• Cheez-Its• Instagram• Nike• Apple (computers)• Google• Pepsi• Prozac
Choosing a trademark
Sam Adams, etc. v. Left Hand
Choosing a trademark
Choosing a trademark
Choosing a trademark
Choosing a trademark
Choosing a trademark
Trademark Pitfalls Limiting search to identical
marks Limiting search to registered
marks
Choosing a trademark
Choosing a trademark
Choosing a trademark
Choosing a trademark
Sazerac v. Crosby
Lakes
Choosing a trademark
In re Blackhawk winery
III. Protecting your trademark
Trademark Pitfalls Not using your mark
Not using your mark as a designation of source
Not registering your mark
Protecting your trademark
Advantages of Federal Registration
Presumptive national priority
Prevents registration of similar
marks
Constructive notice to infringers
Easier to sue in federal court
Enables certain damages awards
Facilitates foreign protection
Protecting your trademark
Coronado v. Maritime
Protecting your trademark
Trademark Application
$275 filing fee per class
10 months average to registration
Priority dates from filing
Can be filed on In-Use or Intent-to-
Use basis
IV. Enforcing your trademark
Trademark Pitfalls Under-enforcing your markOver-enforcing your mark
Enforcing your trademark
Flavors of trademark dispute:
Struggle for control of a business
Unauthorized use of trademark
Counterfeiting
Keeping your brand distinct
Enforcing your trademark
LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION:
Similarity of the marks
Similarity of the products
Strength of the mark
Fame of the mark
Distinctiveness of the mark
Other factors
Enforcing your trademark
Types of trademark disputes:
USPTO rejection
TTAB opposition/cancellation
Demand letter
Lawsuit
Domain name arbitration (UDRP)
Enforcing your trademark
Trademark Factchecker
“If we don’t enforce our trademark, we risk losing it.”
Enforcing your trademark
Lagunitas v. Sierra
Nevada
