TTAB Considers Internet Archive Evidence in Opposition Proceeding

By on February 24, 2021
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Author: Gregory Brescia

In Spiritline Cruises LLC v. Tour Mgmt. Serv’s, Inc., Oppo. No. 91224000, the TTAB held that use of the Internet Archive tool, known as the “Wayback Machine,” for evidentiary purposes was permitted. In making this determination, the Board addressed hearsay and authentication issues, and held: (1) the evidence fell within the business record hearsay exception; and (2) the affidavit submitted by Spiritline served as an appropriate means to authenticate the Wayback Machine printouts.

Background

Spiritline Cruises LLC (“Spirtline”) opposed the registration of the mark “CHARLESTON HARBOR TOURS,” owned by Tour Management Services, Inc. (“TMS”) for travel tours and boat charter related services. In its Notice of Opposition, Spiritline claimed that the “CHARLESTON HARBOR TOURS” mark is incapable of registration because it is geographically descriptive and has been used in its descriptive manner by many parties, in addition to Spritline, in the marketplace. In response, TMS claimed it made substantially exclusive use of the “CHARLESTON HARBOR TOURS” mark for at least five years prior to filing its application for registration and that the evidence submitted by Spiritline were largely recent uses in order to attempt to block registration of TMS’s application.

To support its claims, Spiritline submitted various printouts utilizing the Wayback Machine to illustrate third-party use of the “CHARLESTON HARBOR TOURS” mark between 2004 and 2015. The purpose of introducing this evidence was to discount TMS’s claim of substantial exclusive use of the “CHARLESTON HARBOR TOURS” mark. The evidence submitted by Spiritline was further accompanied by an affidavit instructing the Board of what the printouts were, how they were acquired, and the relevant dates associated therewith. The specificity provided by Spiritline’s affiant regarding the Internet crawling and archiving process was heavily regarded by the Board and served as a means to obviate authentication issues. Not surprisingly, TMS objected to the introduction of the Wayback Machine evidence claiming it was hearsay; however, the Board overruled and held that the evidence and supporting affidavit qualified under the business record exception. The Board further held that the evidence was properly authenticated and a proper foundation was laid via an affidavit to support the intended evidentiary use. As a result, the Board allowed numerous Internet printouts in to evidence to illustrate not only what they showed on their face, but to establish that TMS did not exercise substantially exclusive control over the “CHARLESTON HARBOR TOURS” mark. In fact, the evidence made it clear that the “CHARLESTON HARBOR TOURS” mark was frequently used on a number of third-party websites without challenge. Ultimately, after review and consideration of the various arguments and evidence submitted throughout the duration of the proceeding, the Board held TMS’s application for “CHARLESTON HARBOR TOURS” should be refused from registration.

The use of the Wayback Machine in this case is important because it provides specific instructions for properly authenticating and admitting such evidence in a TTAB action. As seen in this matter, the Wayback Machine evidence played a paramount role in establishing third party use of the “CHARLESTON HARBOR TOURS” mark. This tool can likewise be used to provide support on issues related to priority of use, abandonment, no bona fide use of the mark at the time of filing an in-use application, fraud, and issues related to a mark becoming generic. This TTAB ruling is instructive on avoiding potential hearsay and authentication related issues when using records from the Wayback Machine.

About the author: Gregory Brescia is a registered patent attorney and a Partner in Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. His practice focuses on intellectual property prosecution and litigation. He also counsels clients on intellectual property enforcement and corporate transactions involving formation, compliance, and licensing. Mr. Brescia’s biography can be found here.

Filed under Trademark, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, TTAB

Effective August 3, 2019, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Makes a Big Splash through the Adoption of its New Trademark Law Concerning Foreign Trademark Applicants in an Effort to Preserve and Protect the Trademark Registry

By on July 31, 2019
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Author: Gregory Brescia

On August 3, 2019, non-U.S. domiciliaries will require representation by a U.S. licensed patent lawyer for all matters related to trademark applications, registrations, and parties to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Proceedings (collectively referred herein as, “foreign applicants”). See Federal Register – Trademark Laws as of August 3, 2019. In addition to the adoption of the above, the USPTO is requiring all U.S. licensed attorneys representing foreign trademark applicants to submit proof of their active state bar membership. The purpose of this recent adoption resonates from the USPTO’s efforts to (1) improve the quality of the federal trademark register; (2) stop the unlicensed practice of law before the USPTO; and (3) assist in regulatory compliance.

Many foreign applicants may ask: “how will this impact me?” Prior to the adoption of this new rule, foreign applicants had the ability to prosecute and handle all trademark-related matters on their own behalf. Of course, foreign applicants had the ability to retain foreign counsel as well, so long as certain requirements were met. With the adoption of this new rule, foreign applicants will be required to retain U.S. counsel to file applications, respond to office actions, correspond with examining attorneys at the USPTO, and handle post registration submissions.

The primary changes that foreign applicants will see through the adoption of this new rule include the following:

  1. New applications filed by foreign applicants on or before August 3, 2019 under Sections 1 or 44 of the Lanham Act must obtain U.S. counsel to prosecute a complete application from inception through maintenance.
  2. New applications filed by foreign applicants on or after August 3, 2019 under section 66(a) of the Lanham Act, a subsection of the Madrid Protocol, will not require U.S. counsel for the initial filing so long as prior to the publication, the foreign application submitted satisfies all formalities and statutory requirements. In the event the application does not meet all the formalities and statutory requirements, U.S. counsel is required.
  3. For applications filed by foreign applicants prior to August 3, 2019 that require further action, applicants must retain U.S. counsel to handle any actions, including post-registrations maintenance.
  4. Retaining U.S. counsel is not necessary for applications filed by foreign applicants prior to August 3, 2019; however, U.S. counsel must be retained for any subsequent actions.
  5. Retaining U.S. counsel is required for marks registered by foreign applicants prior to August 3, 2019 for handling any post registration actions, as well as any post registration maintenance on or after August 3, 2019.

As discussed above, the adoption and implementation of this new rule is cornerstone of the USPTO’s initiative to preserve and protect the quality of the U.S. Trademark Registry. We encourage foreign applicants to take these recent changes seriously as they can have a significant impact on the validity and their current and future U.S. trademark portfolios. Moving forward, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani’s Intellectual Property team will monitor the development and implications associated with the USPTO’s recent rule adoption. Should you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding the USPTO’s new rule, please feel free to contact our offices.

About the author: Gregory Brescia is a registered patent attorney and a member of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. His practice focuses on intellectual property prosecution and litigation. He also counsels clients on intellectual property enforcement and corporate transactions involving formation, compliance, and licensing. Mr. Brescia’s biography can be found here.

Filed under Foreign Trademark Registration, Trademark, USPTO