Five Dogs Law

U.S. trademark law practice. Need help protecting your brand? Book a free consultation:

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

@kyleichan I don't understand the obsession with the humanoid aspect.

There's no way the human body is the optimal shape for a machine to perform these services.

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

@CREWcrew Four months later and Godzilla *still* hasn't filed his employment authorization letter.

How can the people of Japan trust that he is acting in their best interest?

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

@dtbisme @NateSilver538 Or even worse than that...

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

@TheStalwart Jacob must be the most terrifying person in the world to try crack jokes in front of. Off the charts risk. Well done.

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

The Houston Comets are coming back to the WNBA in 2027. The @WNBA is currently fighting a trademark battle over ownership of the name. It's a fight the WNBA could have avoided.

https://t.co/S4LngRYazB

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

All legal fees earned by Five Dogs Law ultimately go to Reggie, Mrs. Five Dogs Law, and the rest of the doggos.

Thinking about registering a trademark with the USPTO? Book a free consultation here: https://t.co/6tYHN1IPmF

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

Happy Tuesday everyone.

Here's a dose of happiness to brighten your feed. It's Ralph, one of our six dogs, and me at sunset on a tropical beach.

I'm so grateful to be alive at a time when remote work is possible :)

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

A new post on the Five Dogs Law trademark blog breaks down In re Wilson Carter, an April 2026 TTAB decision affirming a likelihood of confusion refusal.
It explains the four arguments that didn't land and why a registration for a stylized version of the applicant's trademark that pre-dated the cited marks didn't save the application.

https://t.co/KprcXAzRQJ

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

A great day at the beach for the doggos.

Make it a great day for your brand as well by booking a free consultation to discuss brand protection!

Book via https://t.co/r7ZwpfhvH2

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

Establishing relatedness between food products and restaurants for the purpose of a likelihood of confusion analysis requires "something more" than that evidence that similar marks are used for both.

TMEP § 1207.01(a)(ii)(A) addresses this directly and cases like In re Coors Brewing Co. explain the reasoning behind the rule. Nevertheless, there is some ambiguity as to what satisfies "something more."

The TTAB's opinion from In re Daily Harvest Café released earlier this month (April 2026) was labeled as non-precedential, but nevertheless helps clarify the "something more" requirement.

If you're applying to register a mark for a food product or restaurant, it's worth a read. Or, just read my blog post about it!

https://t.co/h8B4t4Nl3k

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

@TheStalwart Must be rare to be a woman named Golfball and still feel like you got the better deal in the family, name wise.

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

@AndrewFeinberg Just wild that he added the ticker symbol

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

The @ufc recently proved to be the BMFs of the TTAB, winning a trademark cancellation case by nonuse.

To the massive audience with an interest in both the UFC and the nuances of establishing use in commerce at Trademark Trial and Appeal Board cancellation proceedings: this blog post is for you.

https://t.co/0FCR5WBzKn

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

Good news for anti-dentites! ...and also a lesson for anyone building a brand based on a professional credential.

A dental brand called "Made By Dentists" just got told by the USPTO that "made by dentists" is too descriptive to trademark.

The TTAB affirmed a disclaimer requirement last month, finding that when dentists design dental products and call them "made by dentists," consumers take that phrase at face value. It describes a characteristic of the goods, not a brand.

It was especially clear here because the company's own website and retail listings used the phrase (and synonymous phrases) in its ordinary descriptive sense.

I wrote up the case on the Five Dogs Law blog. The lesson for anyone building a brand is that if your name relies on a professional credential to signal quality, it's worth thinking through the descriptiveness question before you invest in it.

https://t.co/9lAc4gP6oa

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

Happy Friday!

Here are some photos of Jackson, one of the dogs behind Five Dogs Law, to brighten up your day :)

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

Trademark applications are not just between the applicant and the USPTO.

Anyone who thinks registration would harm them can initiate formal legal proceedings to oppose it.

Here's a breakdown of the opposition process:
https://t.co/3HnjDyf21S

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

Somewhere out there is an author or performer wondering whether they can trademark their name, and on the off chance they end up on my timeline: I wrote this for you.

https://t.co/JMKfbt9ycX

[Five Dogs Law @5DogsLaw]

@mattyglesias That may prove right, but hoping to get pulled out of a doom spiral is not a good reason to have a child.