List of Licensed USPTO Patent Practitioners - the "A"s Part I

In the United States, patent practitioners are professionals licensed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to represent inventors and prosecute patent applications before the USPTO. Trademark attorneys are not licensed by the USPTO, so there is no practitioner list - rather, any currently licensed US attorney can represent clients in trademark matters.

There are two types of patent practitioners: patent attorneys and patent agents. To become a licensed patent practitioner, one must meet the USPTO's eligibility requirements, which include:

Keep a Watchful Eye: Navigating the World of Trademark Monitoring Services

Keep a Watchful Eye: Navigating the World of Trademark Monitoring Services As a trademark owner,...

Understanding Descriptiveness and Genericness in Trademarks

When selecting a trademark for your business, product or service, it's crucial to choose a mark that is legally protectable and enforceable. Two major pitfalls to avoid are marks that are deemed "merely descriptive" or "generic" by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Descriptive and generic marks face significant hurdles to registration and protection. Understanding the legal standards for descriptiveness and genericness, and strategies to avoid these objections, can help you develop a strong, defensible trademark from the start.

Look up an attorney's disciplinary record for Amazon Brand Registry

Amazon has been cracking down on trademark lawyer representation, preferring its own curated list of vendors (under the IP Accelerator Program). One problem with the IP Accelerator firms is that they are extremely expensive and, according to some accounts, may provide less than stellar service.

It's been speculated that Amazon wants to move into the trademark space as well, and that is why they are restricting the service providers that they accept.

Trademark cancelled - Failure to make Section 8 and 9 filings

Trademark cancelled section 8 - If the Section 8 and 9 filings are not timely made between the 9th and 10th year after registration (or within the 6-month grace period with an additional fee), the registration will be canceled. Can it be revived?

Protecting fictional characters through Trademark and Copyright

It's critical for content creators to understand how to protect their characters under intellectual property law. In the United States, the two most relevant forms of IP protection for fictional characters are copyright and trademark. courts have long recognized that sufficiently distinctive characters are entitled to copyright protection. The seminal case on character copyrights is Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corp., where Judge Learned Hand articulated the now famous "sufficiently delineated" test.