TTAB Issues New Order in Oldest Pending TTAB Case

Well, this is quite a coincidence! This morning I posted a brief note about the oldest pending TTAB case: United Black Fund v. National Black United Fund, Inc., Cancellation No. 92013503. Counsel for the parties had just reported to the Board that the related, pending civil action "has not been dismissed."


Apparently the Board may be ready to move this case along, after a nearly 25-year suspension hiatus. Today, the Interlocutory Attorney issued an Order (here) yesterday requiring the parties to submit additional information about the status of the matter:

... the parties are allowed thirty days from the mailing date of this order to file with the Board a response, co-signed by both parties or their counsel of record, which includes:

1) a detailed summary of the current court activity;

2) a statement of the current status of the civil action, including whether said action is presently "administratively closed;"

3) a copy of the court's two most recent orders;

4) in the event that the parties have not been engaged in efforts to settle during the past twelve months, a statement indicating this, and an explanation thereof; and/or

5) in the event that the parties have been engaged in efforts to settle during the past twelve months, a detailed summary of such efforts, listing dates on which the parties have met or corresponded, the existence and status of any outstanding settlement proposals, and a list of issues that have been resolved and those that remain for trial.

Gee, I hope the parties still have the original files, or at least carbon copies thereof.

Text Copyright John L. Welch 2010.