Amicus Backs Request for CAFC to Nix TTAB Refusal, Invalidate USPTO Domicile Address Requirement

In an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) on Friday, September 16, David E. Boundy is backing Chestek PLLC’s appeal asking the CAFC to vacate a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) judgment that upheld an examiner’s refusal of the mark CHESTEK LEGAL for failure to comply with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) “domicile address requirement.” This requirement originates from the USPTO’s proposed rule issued on February 15, 2019, and subsequent final rule published on July 2, 2019. The changes were ostensibly intended to crack down on fraudulent trademark filings, which have posed a significant problem for the Office in recent years, by requiring that foreign applicants engage U.S. counsel.Read More