Trademark Oppositions and Cancellations

TTAB litigation at the USPTO

Opposition and cancellation proceedings at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are akin to civil litigation, including initial, expert, and pretrial disclosures. Finnegan has a wealth of experience in civil litigation, and we are well prepared to guide our clients through the rules. We have had a substantial practice before the TTAB for decades and typically have approximately 300 to 400 active cases at any time, filing or defending as many as 200 new U.S. oppositions and cancellations each year.

Challenging European and UK trade marks

In Europe and the UK, most trade marks disputes begin with a challenge at the trade mark registry, whether that be by way of opposition, invalidation, or cancellation. As there is no relative grounds examination in the UK or at the EUIPO, rights holders are responsible for policing third party marks and deciding if they wish to make a formal challenge to the validity of the application or registration. We have extensive experience before the both the UK and EUIPO and typically file or defend as many as 50 new EU or UK oppositions and cancellations each year.