My Posts

Effective January 18, 2025, the United States Trademark Office will be increasing certain fees and imposing new surcharges, the goals of which are to “enhance the quality of incoming applications, encourage efficient application processing, ensure additional examination costs are paid by those submitting more time-consuming applications, and reduce pendency.”  The text of the Trademark Office’s … Read more

Be Original Americas is a trade association committed to informing and educating manufacturers, artisans, design professionals, and consumers about the economic, ethical, and environmental value of authentic design.  I periodically write articles for BOA, on topics of interest to its members.  My most recent article addressed the differences between patents, trademarks, trade dress and copyright, … Read more

As a trademark lawyer who has been both in-house and outside counsel, I have helped clients through hundreds of branding and rebranding projects. When I decided to mark the 10-year anniversary of my law firm with a rebrand, I applied the lessons learned from working with my clients, and also gained a unique appreciation of … Read more

When I hung out my shingle in 2014, I had one client, a box of business cards, and a lot of determination. I called my firm “Law Office of Stacy J. Grossman” and gave myself two years to build a practice. I knew that about 20% of small businesses fail within the first year, and … Read more

To obtain or renew a United States trademark registration, brand owners must file one or more specimens of use.[1]. A specimen is a document that shows the manner in which a trademark is seen by the public.  A specimen can be a photograph of a label or hangtag, a screen capture from a website, a … Read more

Once in a while, terms that once functioned as trademarks are so widely used by the public that they lose their trademark status and become generic.  At one time, aspirin, escalator, thermos, yoyo and laundromat were all federally registered trademarks.  Their owners did not properly enforce these brands, and they became so common that they … Read more

Published by Law360 on January 6, 2023 A recent Rolling Stone article by David Browne called “The Future of Classic Rock Tours: One or Two Surviving Members… Or None?” described how heritage bands like The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd continue touring — and generating revenue — even when one or more original members … Read more

Clients often ask whether they should apply to register their trademarks outside of the United States. A trademark registration is a valuable asset.  It gives its owner the exclusive right to use its mark in connection with the goods or services covered by the registration, and the right to stop third parties from using the … Read more

Trademark rights are national.  If a mark is used and registered in the United States, its owner might not be able to stop third parties from using the same mark in connection with the same goods and services in other countries. For this reason, many brand owners are interested in protecting their trademarks outside of … Read more