Are you filing trademark applications involving catchphrases, memes, or T-shirt imagery? Are you planning to appeal a final refusal that your trademark is merely informational, ornamental, or otherwise fails to function as a source indicator under the Trademark Act?
If so, register for this free webinar on Tuesday, December 17, from 2-3:30 p.m. ET. Two Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) judges will discuss the history of failure-to-function refusals and best practices for responding. We only have space for 1,000 attendees, so register early!
This webinar will use a high degree of legal terminology and concepts familiar to experienced trademark professionals, but we encourage trademark filers of all experience levels to attend.
You'll learn about:
- The statutory basis of failure-to-function refusals
- Precedential TTAB decisions regarding failure-to-function refusals
- The relationship between failure-to-function refusals and merely descriptive and generic refusals
We'll also cover the history of the failure-to-function refusal and practical tips to consider before filing an appeal.
After the presentation, we’ll have a question-and-answer session. You can contact TMWebinar@uspto.gov to submit your questions or for more information about the event.
We’ll post a recording of this event on the Trademarks webinar series page about three weeks after the event.
Speakers
Thomas Casagrande, Administrative Trademark Judge, TTAB
Catherine O’Connor, Administrative Trademark Judge, TTAB
Accessibility accommodation
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please submit your request to the contact information listed above.
Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
If a state is not listed, contact your state bar to see if you can obtain credit in your state. Participants who attend the live session will receive a certificate of attendance and presentation materials for acquiring CLE credit in other states.