Tag Archives: Opposition

Restating the Obvious: Beer and Wine are Related Goods for Trademark Purposes, Except when They Aren’t

Beer and wine are related goods for trademark purposes. Right? We’ve seen that truism announced by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) time and time again. So, do you really have to prove it from scratch in every trademark proceeding?

Yes, you do. Sure, it may seem obvious that consumers expect beer and wine to emanate from the same source. After all, they are both beverages,… More

Supreme Court’s B&B Hardware ruling creates the potential for court deference to the TTAB — but will it happen?

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Did  TTAB proceedings — until now considered a relatively obscure branch of IP litigation, conducted before an administrative body of which most attorneys are blissfully unaware — just assume greater importance?  That seems to be the general reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in B&B Hardware v. Hargis Industries last month.

B&B Hardware took an unusually aggressive approach to its trademark dispute with Hargis,… More