Significant Changes to Trademark Law Passed in Pandemic Relief Bill

By Amanda Wilcox, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

President Trump signed the Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) on Dec. 27, 2020, as part of a bill containing billions in pandemic relief. The TMA includes the most significant changes to the Lanham Act in perhaps over thirty years, and these changes will take effect at the end of 2021. Many of these changes are intended to reduce the number of trademarks on the registry that are not used in commerce often referred to as “deadwood,” as they can be a burden to both the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and also to other trademark applicants and the general public. The USPTO registry now includes approximately 2.4 million registrations, and it is important to make sure the registry accurately reflects claims of ownership in marks. Read more.

This article was submitted by Lindsey Rothrock, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. If you would like to submit content or write an article for the Intellectual Property Section, please email Kara Sikorski at ksikorski@indybar.org.