Holiday Reading: The Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 and Newly-Issued Implementing Regulations

The USPTO has issued its final regulations under the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020. [pdf of Act here]. The new rules [pdf here] go into effect on December 18, 2021, except for the implementation of the shorter response period for office actions, which will go into effect on December 1, 2022. Petitions requesting institution of proceedings for reexamination or expungement will be accepted on or after December 27, 2021.

The Office states that, under the new provisions, individuals, businesses, and the USPTO itself will now have new tools to clear away unused registered trademarks from the federal trademark register, and the Office will have the ability to move applications through the registration process more efficiently. A summary of the new provisions may be found here at the USPTO website.

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TTABlogger comment: Note that the new "nonuse" ground for cancellation will not affect the current ground of abandonment.

Text Copyright John L. Welch 2021.