Agenda for Roundtable April 26, 2010
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and George Washington University Law School
Roundtable Discussion
The Future of the Use-Based Register
Monday April 26, 2010
Madison North Auditorium
USPTO
Alexandria, VA
This meeting will be webcast
AGENDA
9:00 a.m. Remarks by David Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO
9:10 a.m. Introduction of panel participants by Robert Brauneis, Associate Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Intellectual Property Law Program, George Washington University Law School (Prof. Brauneis will also moderate the panel discussions).
9:20 a.m. Panel discussion of In re Bose Corporation, 580 F.3d 1240, 92 USPQ2d 1938 (Fed. Cir. 2009)
Whether the Bose decision will likely result in less vigilance by applicants and registrants regarding the accuracy of the goods and services listed in their USPTO applications, registrations, and registration maintenance documents;
Whether the Bose decision makes it more difficult to force trademark owners to remove inaccurate goods and services from their USPTO applications, registrations, and registration maintenance documents; and
Whether the potential adverse effects of the Bose decision on the USPTO register and on trademark practice are acceptable to the trademark community.
10:20 a.m. Break
10:35 a.m. Review of USPTO data on lengths of identifications of goods and services in registrations and applications by Lynne G. Beresford, Commissioner for Trademarks, USPTO
10:55 a.m. Panel discussion regarding the accuracy of identifications of goods and services in the USPTO’s register of marks
Whether a register with accurate lists of goods and services and minimal “deadwood” is a critical feature of the U.S. registration system;
What effect the trend of identifications that are longer and broader in scope may have for small businesses, large trademark owners, the bar and the trademark system as a whole; and
Whether the trademark bar and trademark owners should be concerned about the trend.
11:35 a.m. Break
11:50 a.m. Panel discussion on possible changes in law or procedure to address any negative impacts of Bose or inaccurate identifications
What steps, if any, should be taken by the USPTO or Congress to change or further clarify the standard for proving fraud; and
Whether there should be alternative mechanisms or penalties, other than fraud claims, to ensure the accuracy of IDs and the integrity of the register.
1:00 p.m. End of session