D2: Similarity of Goods or Services
Mind the Gap: When Identical Marks Fail to Bridge the Chasm of Unrelated Goods
SPINFLOW // SPINFLOW
Ex Parte Appeal
A curated index of ex parte appeal summaries before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). This section breaks down recent and notable appeals of USPTO examiner refusals, highlighting the critical legal strategies, evidentiary thresholds, and arguments that successfully overcome registration hurdles.
D2: Similarity of Goods or Services
Service Dissimilarity Overcame Identical Marks in a 2(d) Appeal
WHERE LIFE HAPPENS // WHERE LIFE HAPPENS
D6: Third-Party Uses
How Distinctive Connotations and Conceptual Weakness Can Overcome a Section 2(d) Refusal
GOOD TIMES // GOODE TIMES GUARANTEED
D1: Similarity of Marks
Reversing a Section 2(d) Refusal Through Cultural Connotation and Commercial Impression
DUNDER MIFFLIN // MIFFLIN
D2: Similarity of Goods or Services
Reversing 2(d) Refusals Via Evidentiary Failure and Conceptual WeaknessCA
CASA BLANCA // CASABLANA
TTAB Section 2(d) Refusal Reversal
Deferring to the Marketplace: TTAB Reverses Section 2(d) Refusal Based on Prior Settlement
HOUSE OF PRIM // PRIM
D2: Similarity of Goods or Services
Lack of "Something More" Leads to 2(d) Reversal
DAILY HARVEST CAFE // DAILY HARVEST
Ex Parte Appeal
Reversing 2d Refusals
Welcome to my curated index of ex parte TTAB appeals where the Board reversed or partially reversed a Section 2(d) likelihood of confusion refusal. We all know how tough it can be to convince the examining attorney to withdraw a 2(d) refusal, and taking it to the Board
D4: Purchaser Sophistication
How Consumer Sophistication and Niche IDs Can Overcome a 2(d) Refusal
MERMAID // MERMADE
D2: Similarity of Goods or Services
How Scope Limitation and Connotation Defeated a 2(d) Refusal
PRO-GO // HANDY PRO-GO
D2: Similarity of Goods or Services
Failure to Prove Relatedness Defeats 2(d) Refusal of Identical Marks
LA LA LAND // LA LA LAND
D1: Similarity of Marks
Mark Dissimilarity & Purchaser Sophistication Outweigh Other Factors
SEVEN STARLING // STARLING PHYSICIANS