No. 19-53

Branded LLC v. Andrei Iancu, Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office

Lower Court: Federal Circuit
Docketed: 2019-07-09
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response Waived
Tags: descriptive-marks federal-circuit generic-marks lanham-act principal-register trademark-descriptive trademark-descriptiveness trademark-distinctiveness trademark-generic trademark-genericness trademark-infringement trademark-law trademark-protection trademark-registration trademark-trial-and-appeal-board
Latest Conference: 2019-10-01
Question Presented (from Petition)

I.
Whether
the
Federal
Circuit
test
impermissibly categorizes "descriptive" marks
as unprotectable "generic" marks, on the basis
of the mark describing the article of trade, its
qualities, ingredients, or characteristics.

II.
Whether the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board impermissibly ignored their holdings in
prior registration, which had been litigated ex
parte before registering to
the principal
register, when there is no evidence of changes
market, or the relevant public.

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the Federal Circuit test impermissibly categorizes 'descriptive' marks as unprotectable 'generic' marks, on the basis of the mark describing the article of trade, its qualities, ingredients, or characteristics

Docket Entries

2019-10-07
Petition DENIED.
2019-07-31
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/1/2019.
2019-07-22
Waiver of right of respondent Andrei Iancu, Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office to respond filed.
2019-07-08
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due August 8, 2019)

Attorneys

ANDREI IANCU, DIRECTOR, UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Noel J. FranciscoSolicitor General, Respondent
BRANDED LLC,
Rick Louis BrunnerThe Brunner Firm Co., LPA, Petitioner