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
A Florida holding company wanted to open a sandwich shop called Vice City Subs. Take-Two Interactive, the publisher behind Grand Theft Auto, had other plans. The Opposition Filing On February 13, 2026, Take-Two Interactive Software filed Opposition No. 91305220 at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to block the registration of “Vice City Subs.” The … Read more
Buc-ee’s filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit on February 18, 2026, against an Ohio gas station chain whose cartoon moose mascot looks uncomfortably similar to its iconic beaver. The target: Coles IP Holdings LLC, doing business as Mickey’s, a family-owned chain of roughly 42 convenience stores and gas stations spread across northern Ohio. Filed in … Read more
On February 20, 2026, a federal judge in Atlanta closed the book on the trademark infringement lawsuit between Outkast’s holding company and a masked electronic dance music duo who had been performing under the name “ATLiens” since 2012. The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Outkast can never refile it. After 18 months of litigation, … Read more
When OpenAI launched Sora 2 on September 30, 2025, it included a feature letting users insert themselves into AI-generated videos. OpenAI called it “Cameo.” The problem: a company called Cameo, with four federal trademark registrations and 40,000+ celebrities on its platform, already owned that name. Cameo is a Chicago-based marketplace founded in 2017 where fans … Read more
The number 1587 means something very different depending on who you ask. To a small sneaker company founded by two Asian American entrepreneurs, it represents 1587 AD, the year Filipino sailors first arrived in what is now the United States. To Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, it’s a jersey number combination: Mahomes wears 15, Kelce … Read more