Posts Tagged: "likelihood of confusion"

TTAB Rules in Favor of Sony in Trademark Dilution Case

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) ruled in favor of Sony on October 28 in a decision that sustained the corporation’s opposition to an  application to register the mark SONISTREAM for a streaming platform. The TTAB ruled last Friday that the “SoniStream mark is likely to dilute Opposer’s famous SONY mark by blurring.” The Board found that SoniStream is similar enough in name “to trigger consumers” of SoniStream to think of the Sony brand. Of the six factors used to evaluate the case, the TTAB found that four were likely to dilute the Sony brand.

‘What’s in a Name?’ When it Comes to Approval for a Drug Name, a Lot

The process of bringing a new pharmaceutical drug to market is time-consuming and expensive. The process of naming the new drug, while not as scientifically complex, is often no less work. Drugs have several names, including their chemical (or scientific), generic (or non-proprietary) and brand (or proprietary) names. The chemical name specifies the molecular structure of the drug. The generic name specifies the underlying compound of the drug and includes a “stem” that informs health care professionals about how the drug will work in the body. In the United States, generic names must be approved by the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council and the World Health Organization (WHO) INN Programme. While the chemical and generic names may be available for use by others in the industry, the brand name—under which the new drug is typically marketed—is unique and exclusive to the brand owner and is the focus of this article.

District Court Denies Preliminary Injunction Requested Under Reverse Confusion Theory Following PepsiCo Ruling

In a case that echoes they key issue in a recent U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruling for PepsiCo, Inc., U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Lorna Schofield denied a brand owner’s request for a preliminary injunction enjoining model and influencer Hailey Rhode Bieber, who is also the spouse of superstar Justin Bieber, from selling products under the name “Rhode,” which is also her middle name.

Second Circuit Says RISE Mark is on Weak End of Suggestive Spectrum, Reversing Preliminary Injunction Against Pepsi

On July 22, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a decision in RiseandShine Corp. v. PepsiCo, Inc., authored by Senior Circuit Judge Pierre N. Leval, reversing a preliminary injunction entered by the Southern District of New York that prevented Pepsi from marketing its “Mtn DEW Rise Energy” canned energy drink. In reversing, the Second Circuit held that the district court had improperly construed certain likelihood of confusion factors as favoring the merits of RiseandShine’s reverse confusion theory.

CAFC Upholds Barclays’ Claim to LEHMAN BROTHERS Marks

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) today issued a precedential trademark decision upholding a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) ruling that sustained two oppositions filed by Barclays Capital Inc. against Tiger Lily Ventures’ applications for registration of the standard character mark “LEHMAN BROTHERS.” The court also affirmed the dismissal of Tiger Lily’s opposition to Barclays’ application for registration of the LEHMAN BROTHERS mark and dismissed Barclays’ cross-appeal.