SWIPLit

USPTO’s Cert Petition Argues Constitutionality of Lanham Act’s Living Individual Restriction

USPTO Director Kathi Vidal recently petitioned the Supreme Court to review a Federal Circuit decision in In re Elster. There, the Federal Circuit held the USPTO unconstitutionally applied Lanham Act Section 2(c) (15 U.S.C. § 1052) in refusing to register Elster’s mark that used a living individual’s name, because it impermissibly restricted free speech. Section […]

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TTAB Mulls Whether Mavericks Star Luka Doncic Can Revoke Trademark Consent After Issuance of a Mark

By: Zach Schroeder and David Barker To obtain a trademark containing or consisting of a living individual’s name, portrait, or signature, that individual must give written consent.  15 U.S.C. § 1052(c).  The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) is currently faced with a novel question of whether individuals can revoke their consent after issuance […]

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Supreme Court Holds “Expenses” Exclude PTO Employee Salaries in Civil Action Challenges Under the Patent Act

By Daniel M. Staren and David G. Barker The Supreme Court unanimously held that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) may not recover the salaries of its legal personnel as “expenses” in a civil action challenging an adverse decision by the PTO under the Patent Act. The Court’s decision in Peter v. NantKwest […]

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