A Dearborn animal shelter had city approvals, vendor paperwork, shirts, sponsors, and a June 13 fundraiser on the calendar before a trademark warning pushed the event from Pawchella to Pawfest. The pattern I see is a catchy event name becoming expensive to change after it has already been promoted, permitted, and printed. The Shelter Changed … Read more
Two Philadelphia wine schools fought over the simple name PHILLY WINE SCHOOL. The late-May federal ruling shows how a local service name can become powerful, expensive, and fragile when trademark registration, social-media handles, Google listings, and proof of real marketplace use all collide. A Wine-School Name Fight Moves From Instagram To Federal Court The dispute … Read more
Groq Health reached settlement territory after a federal judge found enough factual disputes about AI, health apps, domain searches, and affiliation confusion to keep the trademark case moving toward trial. A Settlement After The Case Survived Summary Judgment On May 18, 2026, Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil received a letter saying the parties in Groq, Inc. … Read more
FKA Twigs built a global music career around a name that was meant to separate her from an older act. The counterclaims now pending in federal court show the harder lesson: a modified name can still carry the old conflict with it, and fame can make that conflict larger instead of easier to solve. The … Read more
Columbia University tried to move a trademark fight over school merchandise out of Oregon. On May 1, 2026, a federal judge said the case stays there, at least for now, because online sales of allegedly noncompliant apparel into Portland were enough to keep Columbia Sportswear’s claims alive in its home forum. The Fight Over One … Read more
TAS Rights Management, LLC filed three USPTO trademark applications for Taylor Swift on April 24, 2026: two spoken greetings and a stage image. They remain applications, but they show how AI imitation is pushing celebrity-brand protection toward trademark filings alongside publicity-rights claims. Taylor Swift’s Filings Turn A Deepfake Problem Into A Trademark Question TAS Rights … Read more
McDonald’s spent 30 years building “Extra Value Meal” into one of the most recognized menu brands in fast food history. On April 14, 2026, the USPTO told them the phrase is just a description of cheap food. The refusal landed on Serial #99298328, an application McDonald’s filed in July 2025 as the company prepared to … Read more
An heirloom bean company with 30,000 members and 35,370 people on a waitlist is sending cease-and-desist letters to tiny competitors over two common words: “bean club.” The letter arrived with a disarming opener: “Hello Fellow Bean Lover!” Behind the friendly greeting from Crown, LLP was a legal demand to stop using “bean club” in all … Read more
On April 6, 2026, DTTM Operations LLC filed a trademark application for “THE 47 PLAN” at the USPTO. It was the first intellectual property activity tied to Trump Mobile in ten months, covering three classes: Class 009 (mobile phones and accessories), Class 035 (retail stores), and Class 038 (wireless telephone services). The backstory starts in … Read more
A Las Vegas performer who has built her career around the “Confessions of a Showgirl” brand since 2014 is now suing Taylor Swift in federal court, claiming Swift’s blockbuster album “The Life of a Showgirl” tramples her registered trademark. On March 30, 2026, singer and entertainer Maren Wade (legal name Maren Flagg) filed suit in … Read more
The NCAA filed a federal trademark lawsuit against DraftKings on March 20, 2026, accusing the sportsbook of plastering “March Madness,” “Final Four,” and other registered marks across its betting platform without permission. On March 26, 2026, a federal judge denied the NCAA’s emergency request to stop it. DraftKings embedded the marks throughout its platform. Navigation … Read more
Dr. Ashley Bryant built software to help therapists manage their practices. DoorDash, a $72 billion food delivery company represented by one of the country’s largest IP law firms, tried to stop her from using the name LeadDash. She fought back without a lawyer. She won. Bryant holds a PhD, is a licensed professional counselor based … Read more
Federal trademark registration currently takes about 12 to 14 months from filing to certificate, assuming nothing goes wrong. The problem is that something goes wrong in over 60% of applications. If your application receives an office action, you are looking at 18 to 24 months, and the delay adds cost on top of time. Your … Read more
The total cost to trademark a name ranges from about $350 (filing it yourself directly with the USPTO) to $2,000 or more with a trademark attorney. At my firm, the cost is $1,195 plus the $350 government filing fee per class, so $1,545 all-in for a single class. Those numbers are easy to find. The … Read more
Snoop Dogg helped turn “Smoke Weed Everyday” into one of the most recognizable phrases in cannabis culture. That popularity is exactly why the USPTO won’t let him trademark it. The Refusal Dr. ETC Holdco, LLC, Snoop’s intellectual property holding company, filed a trademark application on March 14, 2024 (Serial No. 98449797). The application sought federal … Read more
Quick answer: A trademark protects a product name or logo, and a service mark protects a service name or logo. That is the entire distinction. If you file under the wrong one, the USPTO examining attorney will issue an office action asking you to amend your identification of goods or services, but your application does … Read more