Friday, October 9, 2015

Today's Tip - Don't File LIVEMOMSTRONG for Apparel

In the case of another unfortunate pro se trademark applicant, a women in California filed a federal trademark application for the mark LIVEMOMSTRONG! as it relates to "[s]hirts; [s]horts; [and][w]ristbands[.]" These goods are in class 25.
Unfortunately, as most of you know, there is another very popular trademark for LIVESTRONG owned by the LiveStrong Foundation. The LiveStrong Foundation is the owner of two trademark applications in class 25 and many others in various other classes (see below for examples of LIVESTRONG apparel).
Because these marks are for the same types of goods, and are extremely similar, the LIVEMOMSTRONG! application will almost certainly receive an Office Action refusing to register the LIVEMOMSTRONG! mark pursuant to Section 2(d) of the Trademark Act. This section prevents the registration of any mark that is confusingly similar to a previously registered mark.

Trademark Office filing fees are almost always nonrefundable, so this applicant's $225 filing fee is all but lost.

This case demonstrates the importance of conducting a proper clearance search before filing a trademark application. By working with a trademark attorney, you can avoid Section 2(d) Office Actions and maximize your chances of receiving a federal trademark registration.

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