Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

How Energy Drink's "Purple Rain" Trademark Application Was Rejected

By Bridget H. Labutta
November 01, 2023

At the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), the trademark examining attorneys and administrative judges of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) are tasked with reviewing trademark applications to ensure that they are in good form and that the applied-for mark is eligible for federal trademark registration. Examiners and judges are guided in their review by several policies including the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. §1051 et seq., the federal statute governing trademark law in the United States and the USPTO's trademark rules of practice and trademark manual of examining procedure or TMEP, among others.

The TMEP is a publicly available document that serves as an excellent resource for actual and potential trademark applicants, registrants and their attorneys. It is accessible online and easily searchable. The TMEP incorporates the Lanham Act and identifies all important application details, including what must be included in an original or renewal application, who is entitled to register a mark and whether they must be represented by an attorney, and what kind of mark is eligible for federal trademark registration versus what kind of mark is prohibited.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls Image

With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.