July 08, 2021
The U.S. Supreme Court didn't weigh in on any trademark cases in 2021, but the lower courts have been plenty busy — from Nike's fight against Satan Shoes, to a revival of "initial interest confusion," to a big win against Canal Street fakes. To get you up to speed, here are the seven major rulings you need to know from the first half of the year.
June 08, 2021
Siding with Frito-Lay, a North Carolina federal court has ruled that a "Pretzel Crisps" brand sold by rival Snyder's-Lance is a generic "common term" that one company cannot "monopolize" with trademark law.
May 27, 2021
U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap is scheduled to kick off two new patent infringement trials the first week of June, including one inventor's wireless technology claims against AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon. Here is a look at those cases plus other major intellectual property matters on deck in the coming week.
October 30, 2018
Snyder's-Lance Inc. on Monday asked a federal judge not to declare "pretzel crisps" a generic term, saying Frito-Lay Inc.'s "flawed" argument against the trademark had already been "decisively" rejected in an earlier ruling.
September 04, 2018
PepsiCo's Frito-Lay Inc. is urging a North Carolina federal judge to uphold a ruling by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board that "pretzel crisps" is a generic phrase, saying that rival snack maker Snyder's-Lance has twice been shut down by the board and is now "desperate for a different outcome" in court.
November 07, 2017
Snyder's-Lance Inc. sued PepsiCo.'s Frito-Lay Inc. in North Carolina federal court Monday to appeal a ruling by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board that "pretzel crisps" is a generic phrase, saying the decision relied on flawed analysis and cherry-picked data.