Alt Legal Blog
News, updates and guidance about examining attorney
Latest Blog Posts
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Top 12 Trademark Prosecution Tips from a USPTO Examiner
This article was written by a USPTO Trademark Examiner in their personal capacity for publication on the Alt Legal blog. It was updated on December 10, 2023 to account fo...
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Alt Legal Connect Session Summary: USPTO Updates: USPTO representatives explain recent and upcoming changes
On Wednesday, September 15, USPTO Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy Amy Cotton and Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Operations Dan Vavonese presented...
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Introduction to Failure to Function Refusals
One of the core tenets of trademark law is that trademarks must serve as a source indicator, distinguishing the goods and services from those of other sources. When a tra...
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Failure to Function: Ornamental Refusals
Ornamental refusals are on the rise—with the USPTO issuing upwards of 50 ornamental refusals on a single day. The refusal stems from the inherent nature of the mark its...
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Failure to Function – Informational Matters, Widely Used Messages, and Religious Text
If an applied-for mark mostly or exclusively conveys information about a product or service, the mark is considered merely informational matter and will be refused based ...
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Turning the Page: Dotcom Trademark Registrations Following Booking.com
After the landmark Booking.com case before the US Supreme Court, it is now possible to register generic.com domain names as trademarks. However, it can be tricky to achie...
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