Brand Protection

On July 13, PRL USA Holdings, Inc. — the corporate entity behind Ralph Lauren — filed a notice of opposition at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board against The United States Pony Clubs, Inc., a nonprofit equestrian education organization based in Lexington, Kentucky. The mark under attack is PONY CLUB, and USPC’s answer is due […]

On July 16, Mattel, Inc. filed a notice of opposition at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board against Geiger and Weis, a New York company, over an application for the mark BARBARI. Put the two words side by side and the opposition looks obvious: swap a few letters, hope nobody notices. Look at what Geiger […]

On July 8, Chanel, Inc. filed a trademark opposition at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board against a company called Coco’s Butter LLC. The opposition is Proceeding No. 91308675. The mark under attack is COCO’S BUTTER, a skincare line out of Gaithersburg, Maryland, covering body butters, body scrubs, creams, lotions, and haircare. Read that fast, […]

On July 1, Australia’s trademark registrar ruled against Eminem in a dispute over an Australian swimwear label called Swim Shady. The headlines framed it as a rapper losing a fight over a pun. That framing misses the actual lesson. Eminem didn’t lose because a swimwear brand out-argued him on confusing similarity. He lost because his […]

The Sneaker Lawsuit That Isn’t About the Shoe On July 1, 7-Eleven filed a federal trademark lawsuit against Nike in the Northern District of Texas, Case No. 3:26-cv-02201. The product at issue is a pair of sneakers. The claim has almost nothing to do with the shoe itself. 7-Eleven isn’t arguing that Nike copied a […]

On June 8, 2026, Apple Inc. filed four separate trademark applications for the mark APPLE HEALTH. Not one application covering multiple classes — four distinct filings, targeting Class 9, Class 41, Class 42, and Class 44, all on the same day. Apple did not do this accidentally. And if you have ever filed one trademark […]

Pattie Gonia has spent years building one of the most recognizable names in environmental content creation. The drag queen creator’s platform spans activism, sustainability advocacy, and a personal brand that her audience connects to viscerally. Patagonia — the outdoor apparel company — is suing her for trademark infringement. The requested damages: one dollar. That $1 […]

Apple Inc. filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit against Apple Cinemas, a regional theater chain with 13 locations across New England. Apple Cinemas has operated under that name for years. Its lawyers have argued the name reflects geographic roots — a common, intuitive kind of naming for a local business. Apple’s lawyers are not impressed. […]

The Supreme Court declined to hear Vetements. The FederalCircuit’s doctrine of foreign equivalents stands. Here’s what international brands need to knowbefore filing in the U.S. In January 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up Vetements Group AG v. Stewart.With that single decision — actually a non-decision — a Swiss luxury label lost its […]

You filed your trademark application. You waited the better part of a year for an examining attorney to pick it up. And then the office action arrived: a “likelihood of confusion” refusal citing a senior application or registration you’d never heard of, owned by an entity you can’t seem to find online.You’re not necessarily looking […]