CARES Act and Trademark Deadlines

On March 27, 2020, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) – This Act is to provide the various areas in which the government is providing emergency assistance and health care to individuals, families and businesses impacted by COVID-19.  Under the CARES Act, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the “PTO”) has provided for the extension of certain trademark filing deadlines between March 27th and April 30th, as the PTO has determined that practitioners, applicants, registrants and others associated with PTO filings and fees are being impacted and may be unable to make timely filings due to the outbreak.

In particular, the PTO and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) has provided that they are giving a 30-day extension for the following deadlines currently due between March 27, 2020 and April 30, 2020:

  1. Response to an Office Action, including Notices of Appeal from the final Office Action under 15 U.S.C. § 1062(b) and 37 C.F.R. §§ 2.62(a) and 2.141(a);
  2. Statement of Use or Request for Extension of time to file a Statement of Use under 15 U.S.C. § 1051(d) and 37 C.F.R. §§ 2.88(a) and 2.89(a);
  3. Notice of Opposition or Request for Extension of Time to file a Notice of Opposition 15 U.S.C. § 1063(a) and 37 C.F.R. §§ 2.101(c) and § 2.102(a);
  4. Priority filing basis under 15 U.S.C. § 1126(d)(1) and 37 C.F.R. § 2.34(a)(4)(i);
  5. Priority filing basis under 15 U.S.C. § 1141g and 37 C.F.R. § 7.27(c);
  6. Transformation of an extension of protection to the United States into a U.S. application under 15 U.S.C. § 1141j(c) and 37 C.F.R. § 7.31(a);
  7. An Affidavit of Use or Excusable Nonuse under 15 U.S.C. § 1058(a) and 37 C.F.R. § 2.160(a);
  8. A Renewal application under 15 U.S.C. § 1059(a) and 37 C.F.R. § 2.182; or
  9. Affidavit of Use or excusable nonuse under 15 U.S.C. § 1141k(a) and 37 C.F.R. § 7.36(b).

There are other extensions available as well.  For instance, TTAB  has provided that if COVID-19 has caused a delay in a filing not mentioned above, a request (in an ex parte appeal) before the Board or a motion (for trial cases) for a reopening of a case may also be made.

Also, if a trademark application was abandoned or a trademark registration was canceled/expired under any of the deadlines listed above (due to an inability to respond to a trademark-related Office communication by its original deadline) because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the PTO will waive the revival and reinstatement fees.

Thus, filing one of the above documents will be considered timely provided that the filing is made within 30 days of the original due date and provided that the filing includes a statement that the delayed filing or payment was due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  With regard to the type of circumstances that would be considered to effect a timely filing, the PTO has noted the following situations::

  • Office closures,
  • cash flow interruptions,
  • inaccessibility of files or other materials,
  • travel delays,
  • personal or family illness, or similar circumstances, such that the outbreak materially interfered with timely filing or payment.

The PTO and TTAB are providing information as to their extensions and information on frequently asked questions on its website at www.uspto.gov/coronavirus.  The PTO will continue to evaluate the situation and will report if additional measure or extensions are put in place.

If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Grimsley kim@olivergrimsley.com or Jennifer Mumm jen@olivergrimlsey.com at Oliver & Grimsley.

Sandy Bottom® Cocktails to Make an Entrance and Warm, Sunny Welcome to Guests at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore Soon

While we can’t quite enjoy the warmth of summer just yet, guests at Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore will soon be able to have the next best thing in their in-room bar selection – Sandy Bottom® Sparkling Rum Cocktails! Tasting almost like a sunny afternoon, the light and fizzy coconut flavored beverage will be offered in rooms, bringing the beach to you.

Founded in 2009, entrepreneur Sandy Mazza was inspired by her friends while boating on the Chesapeake Bay. She created the beverage as a way for busy women to keep summer alive year round whether camping, tailgating, boating, or lounging on the beach. Her ambition ultimately led to Sandy Bottom at retailers throughout Maryland, the pool bar of the MGM National Harbor, and soon to be the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore to welcome guests.

You don’t have to wait to go to the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore to find this refreshingly crisp, sparkling rum cocktail. Check out their website to find where you can purchase some Sandy Bottom® for yourself today!

Special kudos to our client The Sandy Bottom Enterprises, LLC and Sandy Mazza! As our client says, “Never quit and dream big!”

Cake Decorators’ Dilemma – To Make Or Not To Make That Character Cake?

When you walk through a bakery and see a cake with Disney Frozen characters on it, do you ask yourself – did Disney allow that?   At birthday parties, you see many themed parties and theme cakes – parents want to have a character cake for their child’s birthday.  A baker/cake decorator may wonder what are the legal risks in making and selling such cakes?  They do not want to lose a sale, but they don’t want to find themselves in legal trouble either.  Some may wonder how will the owner of these characters even find out if I make a cake with a character on it or even care?

The copyright owners of the character artwork do care and, particularly with social media today (everyone at the party taking pictures of the cake and posting on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram etc), it is easier to find such unauthorized works.  This post explores basic legal issues in the cake decorating business.  (more…)

The Four Most Common Mistakes Made In Hiring a Website Developer

We meet a lot of clients that fail to obtain a written agreement, or blindly sign the form provided by the developer – and when a dispute arises, only too late realize the problems created by that lack of diligence.  This post addresses critical provisions in a website development agreement.

First, you want to make sure you will own the material and content created by the developer.  Thus, you want a provision in the agreement (which must be in writing) that recognizes that the developer’s work for you is considered a “work made for hire” and you want a copyright and intellectual property assignment as well.  These clauses ensure that, although the developer is not your employee, you are the owner of the website materials and intellectual property rights.  You do not want to find that your website designer created something unique for you only to discover the same unique layout on another website.  Many businesses are surprised to learn that in the absence of this statement in a written agreement, an independent contractor (in this case the website developer) typically is the owner of work they create, and the business at most would be a licensee of the material. This means you don’t own the work; rather, you only have permission to use it.

Second, you want to have a provision in the contract that states that the work on the website is the website developer’s original work and/or that the developer has the necessary permission/licenses from the owners to use the work on your site.  For instance, the website developer may place photographs on your website – you want the developer to represent that the developer has the right to use those photographs on your website (i.e. either the developer took the photos or it has the permission to use them).  If the developer uses photographs owned by a third party on your website without the third party’s permission, the third party could claim you are infringing on their copyright by displaying their work on your website without their permission, and would demand you cease use of the photos and may demand damages as well.  Thus, have your website developer represent the work is original or that he has permissions to use all work on your website.

Third, make sure to have an indemnification provision in your agreement.  This provision should provide that the developer will indemnify you in the event you incur damages or a loss due to a third party claim that you are infringing their intellectual property rights – where they claim the work on your website is actually their material.  For example, a business thinks the graphics on its site are original, however, it receives a cease and desist letter from a third party alleging that its use of the works on its website without the third party’s authorization is copyright infringement and demands damages.  Under Copyright Law, if the third party is the owner of a registered copyright in the work, the business as an unauthorized user could be subject to statutory damages ranging from $700 to $30,000 for unintentional infringement, and up to $150,000 for willful infringement. Thus, if material placed on your website by your developer is subject to a claim or legal action for infringement, you want your developer to indemnify you for these actions since you are relying on their knowledge, creativity and skill in developing and designing your website.

Finally, it is important that you make sure that the developer periodically delivers all source codes and native files to you, and that you control all passwords and access to critical website assets, such as the domain registration.  You want to make sure that such files and access rights cannot be withheld in the event of a dispute.  Thus, if a dispute arises, the developer’s sole remedy should be money damages.  You should not be prevented from transferring the work done (to the point of a dispute) to a new developer, so you can finish your site, and deal with the dispute separately.

For more information, please contact Kim Grimsley.

More countries join Madrid Protocol – Next Up India

More Countries Join the Madrid Protocol – Next Up: India

Effective July 8, 2013, India will join the Madrid Protocol – the international registration trademark system.  This is on the heels of Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand and Philippines, which have all joined the Madrid Protocol within the past 12 months.

The Madrid Protocol is one of the two treatises of the Madrid System (or the International Trademark System), which allows a trademark owner to seek international registration with one filing.  Businesses are growing worldwide today and as such, more and more businesses are finding they need international protection.  Under the Madrid Protocol, international registration is a more simplistic and cost-effective means of providing trademark owners with the ability to obtain trademark protection in up to 90 designated countries with only one trademark application filing. Registration under the Madrid Protocol is beneficial from a management standpoint as well as the international trademark registration can be managed more easily since only one step will serve to record any changes in the trademark registration, such as a change in ownership or even the address of the owner.

Thus, if your company wants to obtain trademark protection in fifteen15 countries, rather than having to file, pay for and manage 15 trademark filings in various countries, a trademark owner can obtain trademark protection in 15 countries with simply one application filing.  Not only is this cost effective in filing fees, but also it is also cost-effective in the time spent in preparing and filing the trademark application.  Although filing under Madrid Protocol is beneficial to all trademark owners no matter how small or large the company may be, smaller businesses that once thought international trademark protection was just not feasible from a cost perspective can now realistically move toward international trademark registration and protection on a global basis under the Madrid Protocol.

For more information, please contact Kim Grimsley at kim@olivergrimsley.com.