New Dangers At The TTAB

The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office has recently become a more dangerous place.

The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board—usually referred to by its acronym "TTAB," which is spoken (most often) as four separate letters (tee, tee, ay, bee) rather than the obvious and more concise vocalization of "tee-tab"—is the tribunal where you can go on appeal if you do not like the examiner's rejection of your trademark application. It is also the tribunal that hears and adjudicates "Oppositions" filed by third party "opposers" against "applicants" seeking registration and "Petitions for Cancellation" where third party "petitioners" proceed against "respondents" registrations they feel were improvidently granted.