New Era Cap, LLC v. Lamar Jackson — TTAB Blocks ERA 8 Trademark Application
The TTAB barred Lamar Jackson’s ERA 8 BY LAMAR JACKSON application based on claim preclusion and lack of use on the listed bag products.
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Wilfong v. Starstruck Entertainment — Contradictory Social Posts Make Trademark Case Exceptional
A Tennessee federal court awarded $276,283.35 in Lanham Act fees after trial testimony denying confusing use of STARSTRUCK was contradicted by the plaintiff’s own social-media marketing.
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Long-Lok v. Safety Socket — Functional Fastener-Mark Challenge Survives, Abandonment Theory Does Not
An Ohio federal court allowed a functionality challenge to a banded-knurl fastener mark to proceed but dismissed inadequately pleaded abandonment theories with leave to amend.
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BBK Tobacco v. Central Coast Agriculture — Weak RAW Trademark Case Brings $2.56 Million Fee Award
An Arizona federal court deemed a failed RAW-versus-Raw Garden trademark case exceptional and awarded the prevailing defendant roughly $2.56 million in attorneys’ fees.
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Gilead Sciences v. Meritain Health — Foreign-Market Drugs Can Infringe Despite Chemical Identity
The Fourth Circuit held that foreign-market Gilead drugs can be non-genuine under trademark law when their labeling and quality controls materially differ from authorized U.S. products.
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Yangtze Memory Technologies v. Micron — National-Security Advocacy Is Not Commercial Advertising Under the Lanham Act
The District of Columbia dismissed YMTC’s false-advertising claims because advocacy publications criticizing its China ties were not commercial speech, even if a competitor allegedly funded them.
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In re Serena Williams — SERENA VENTURES Conflicted With SERENA for Financial Services
The TTAB refused registration of SERENA VENTURES because it was likely to be confused with SERENA for overlapping financial and investment services.
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VIP Products v. Jack Daniel’s — Bad Spaniels Parody Does Not Tarnish Famous Whiskey Marks
The Ninth Circuit held that Jack Daniel’s failed to prove its famous marks were likely to be tarnished by VIP’s Bad Spaniels dog-toy parody.
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Deltona Transformer v. NOCO — Keyword Bidding Alone Is Not Trademark Infringement
The Eleventh Circuit held that invisible competitive keyword bidding alone is not trademark infringement and ordered a new damages trial.
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Multiple Energy Technologies v. Casden — CEO Salary Is Not Disgorgeable Profit Under the Lanham Act
The Ninth Circuit vacated a multimillion-dollar false-advertising recovery because a CEO’s salary was not his profit, while preserving the exceptional-case attorney-fee award.
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Warman v. Local Yokels Fudge — Fudge Recipe Verdict and IP Fee Awards Affirmed
The Third Circuit upheld a fudge-recipe trade-secret verdict and attorney-fee awards on unsuccessful trademark and copyright claims.
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Jiaherb v. MTC Industries — Unproven Adulteration Defeats Lanham Act Claim
The Third Circuit held that Jiaherb failed to prove saw palmetto oil was adulterated, defeating its Lanham Act false-advertising and related contract claims.
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Trump Organization v. John Doe Defendants — $14.6M Statutory Damages Against 73 Online Counterfeit Sellers
A Florida federal court adopts a magistrate’s recommendation and enters a $14.6 million statutory damages judgment against 73 online sellers of counterfeit Trump-branded merchandise under the Lanham Act’s counterfeiting provisions.
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Van Leeuwen Ice Cream LLC v. Rebel Creamery LLC — $23.8M Disgorgement Award for Copying Minimalist Packaging Trade Dress
Judge Komitee awards Van Leeuwen $23,785,000 in disgorgement of Rebel Creamery’s profits and issues a permanent packaging redesign injunction after finding that Rebel’s ice cream packaging infringed Van Leeuwen’s distinctive minimalist trade dress under the Lanham Act and New York
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OpenAI, Inc. v. EUIPO (T-555/25) — EU General Court Finds ‘OPENAI’ Descriptive of AI Services, Refuses EU Trademark Registration
The EU General Court ruled that ‘OPENAI’ cannot be registered as an EU trademark because it descriptively conveys ‘openly accessible artificial intelligence’ — a potentially far-reaching ruling for AI companies seeking trademark protection in Europe.
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KetoNatural Pet Foods v. Hill’s Pet Nutrition — Tenth Circuit Revives Lanham Act Claims Over Alleged Grain-Free Dog Food Smear Campaign
The Tenth Circuit reversed dismissal of Lanham Act false advertising claims, holding that Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s website statements and veterinary education materials could constitute actionable commercial speech when they allegedly disparaged grain-free competitors—and that the “establi
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dmarcian, Inc. v. DMARC Advisor BV — Fourth Circuit Upholds Cross-Border IP Injunction Under Abitron’s Conduct Test
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a preliminary injunction against a Dutch software company’s use of an American company’s brand and trade secrets, holding that Abitron Austria’s conduct-focused test for the territorial reach of U.S. IP law is satisfied where the defendant directly targe
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Nelson v. MillerKnoll — Sixth Circuit Rules Authorization Defeats Bubble Lamp Trademark Claims
The Sixth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for MillerKnoll, holding that the Nelson family authorized the company’s ownership of the iconic George Nelson Bubble Lamp trademarks through a 2006 royalty agreement — and in a precedential ruling, confirmed that authorization defeats unregistered t
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Pearl Musical Instrument v. Hoshino Gakki — Court Tosses Trade Dress Claim Where Patent Proves Functionality
A Pennsylvania federal court dismissed Pearl’s trade dress claim for its marching band drum carrier design without prejudice, holding that Pearl’s own utility patent on the same design features provided strong evidence of functionality, defeating trade dress protection.
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Trump Organization v. Schedule A Defendants — Magistrate Recommends $14.6M in Damages for MAGA Trademark Counterfeiting
A federal magistrate judge recommended $14.6 million in statutory damages against online retailers who sold counterfeit merchandise bearing TRUMP and MAGA trademarks after they defaulted by failing to respond to the lawsuit.
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ITC Limited v. Adyar Gate Hotels — Delhi High Court Denies Injunction Over Dakshin Trademark After Operating Agreement Expired
The Delhi High Court Division Bench dismissed ITC Limited’s bid to block a former hotel licensee from continuing to use the Dakshin restaurant trademark, finding that the licensee had built independent goodwill through decades of use and that ITC’s prolonged silence amounted to acquiescence.
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In re Marini y Compañía — Federal Circuit Affirms TTAB Refusal of ‘Mon Ami’ Dog Treat Marks Over Likelihood of Confusion with ‘AMÌ’
The Federal Circuit affirms the TTAB’s refusal to register four ‘Mon Ami’ dog-treat marks, finding the Board’s likelihood-of-confusion analysis under DuPont factor one is supported by substantial evidence.
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Gilead v. Khaim — Magistrate Recommends $68 Million Judgment Against 26 HIV Drug Counterfeiters
A magistrate judge recommended a $68 million default judgment against 26 defendants who operated a large-scale scheme to flood the U.S. supply chain with counterfeit Biktarvy and Descovy HIV medications bearing Gilead’s registered trademarks.
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RiseandShine Corp. v. PepsiCo — Supreme Court Will Decide If Trademark Strength Is a Jury Question
The Supreme Court granted certiorari to decide whether a trademark’s inherent or conceptual strength is a question of fact for juries or law for judges — a ruling that could reshape summary judgment practice in trademark infringement cases.