Trademark Law

Trademarks portal of the USPTO, an agency of the Department of Commerce that registers trademarks, grants patents, "advises the President of the United States, the Secretary of Commerce, and U.S. Government agencies on intellectual property (IP) policy, protection, and enforcement, and promotes the stronger and more effective IP protection around the world." Includes the USPTO's searchable trademark database, Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS), the Design Search Code Manual, trademark statistics, Federal Register Notices published for the USPTO, Trademark Official Gazette (TMOG), Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) decisions, the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP), and the USPTO publication "U.S. Trademark Law: Rules of Practice & Federal Statutes."

"The TTAB is an administrative board that hears and decides adversary proceedings between two parties, namely, oppositions (party opposes a mark after publication in the Official Gazette) and cancellations (party seeks to cancel an existing registration). The TTAB also handles interference and concurrent use proceedings, as well as appeals of final refusals issued by USPTO Trademark Examining Attorneys within the course of the prosecution of trademark applications."

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has nationwide jurisdiction in a variety of subject areas, including trademarks. Site includes opinions and orders of merits and motions panels, caseload statistics, and rules of practice.

The ITC is an independent, quasi-judicial federal agency with broad investigative responsibilities on matters of trade. The ITC adjudicates cases involving allegations of trademark infringement by imported goods (Section 337 investigations, conducted pursuant to the Tariff Act of 1930). Site includes Section 337 publications, investigational history materials, and access to the ITC's Investigations Database System (IDS), a database of information related to all unfair import investigations conducted by the ITC under Section 337, and the Electronic Document Information System (EDIS), the ITC’s document management system for filing and accessing documents related to ITC investigations.

The jurisdiction of the House Committee on the Judiciary includes the United States Patent and Trademark Office, patents, trademarks, and copyright.

The jurisdiction of the Senate Judiciary Committee includes the United States Patent and Trademark Office, patents, trademarks, and copyright.

The TM5 ((Trademark 5, the world’s five largest trademark offices) "is a framework through which five intellectual property offices namely, the National Intellectual Property Administration, PRC (CNIPA), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) exchange information on trademark-related matters, and undertake cooperative activities for their mutual benefit, and for the interests of their respective trademark filers and registrants." Together, the TM5 offices account for about half of all trademark applications filed worldwide.

WIPO "is the global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information and cooperation. We are a self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 193 member states. Our mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international IP system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all."

Includes Trademark topics and issues; Trademark law, treaties and documents; Registering trademarks; and Searching trademarks and other signs.

WIPO administers 26 intellectual property treaties, including the Trademark Law Treaty and the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks, both of which serve to simplify trademark application and registration procedures in their member countries. The Trademark Law Treaty entered into force in the United States in August 2000 and the Singapore Treaty in March 2009.

WIPO Lex "provides free of charge access to legal information on intellectual property (IP) from around the world. The WIPO Lex Database is organized into three collections, consisting of IP laws and regulations, WIPO-administered treaties and IP‑related treaties, and IP judgments."

WTO "is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible." TRIPS "is the most comprehensive multilateral agreement on intellectual property (IP). It plays a central role in facilitating trade in knowledge and creativity, in resolving trade disputes over IP, and in assuring WTO members the latitude to achieve their domestic policy objectives. It frames the IP system in terms of innovation, technology transfer and public welfare. The Agreement is a legal recognition of the significance of links between IP and trade and the need for a balanced IP system."

"The Patent and Trademark Office Society is for Patent and Trademark professionals and other interested individuals. Founded in 1917, the Society is today internationally recognized for its activities in the patent and trademark fields. From its inception, the Society has actively influenced the patent and trademark systems - promoting the systems' growth and well-being, recalling our rich heritage and promoting the social and intellectual welfare of our members."

"The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related intellectual property (IP) to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation."

"Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), established in 1972, is a trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets."

"The TPAC reviews the policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of trademark operations [at the USPTO] and advises the director on these matters."

"Patent and Trademark Resource Centers (PTRCs) are a nationwide network of public, state and academic libraries that are designated by the USPTO to disseminate patent and trademark information and to support the diverse intellectual property needs of the public. Accessing the patent and trademark information at a PTRC with the help of a trained specialist, you may be able to determine if someone else has already patented your invention or obtained a federal registration for a trademark on goods or services. PTRCs also have access to PubWEST and PubEAST, examiner-based search systems."