The Lanham Act is the U.S. federal codification of trademark law.[1] For decades, Section 1052(a) of the Lanham Act enabled the USPTO to refuse to register a trademark that “consists of or comprises immoral, deceptive, or scandalous matter; or matter which may disparage or falsely suggest a connection with persons, living or dead…” These prohibitions [...]
The proliferation of distributed computing devices, networked computing, and machine learning is rapidly changing the way we live, work, and play. Recently, the convergence of these trends is being called the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Industry 4.0, or simply I4. These blanket terms encompass a wide range of developments, including the increasing refinement, deployment, and integration [...]
After you’ve spent time and money on arriving at the ideal brand name or trademark, determining its availability, prosecuting the mark, and finally, obtaining registration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, you are relieved to receive your Certificate of Registration. But is registration the last word on trademark protection? The U.S. Government estimates that [...]
On March 29, 2018, partner Shauna Wertheim will teach “Avoiding Copyright and Trademark Infringement Online.” This is Shauna’s 17th year teaching the course, and her second time co-teaching it. The DC Bar offers the course in person on Monday, March 19 from 6-8:15 PM at the DC Bar in Washington, DC. Those interested may [...]
