Author Archives: Christina Frangiosa

USPTO Cancels More than 52,000 Fraudulently Prosecuted Trademark Records

by Christina Frangiosa

The USPTO recently announced that, on August 6, 2025, it terminated over *52,000* pending applications and issued registrations handled by a foreign filing firm, Shenzhen Seller Growth Network Tech, and its affiliates (collectively “Seller Growth” or “Respondents“) following the issuance of several Orders to Show Cause and a Final Order for Sanctions addressing years’ worth of consistently fraudulent conduct connected with applying for and obtaining U.S. trademark registrations without complying with US laws or USPTO regulations.  See “USPTO has terminated more than 52,000 fraudulently filed trademark applications and registrations,” News Brief (Aug. 8, 2025) (“News Brief“); Order Reconsidering Registration Decisions (issued July 28, 2025) (“Reconsideration Order“); and Final Order for Sanctions (issued Aug. 6, 2025) (“Final Order“); see generally USPTO’s Administrative Proceedings Page (listing all prior sanctions orders, show cause orders and other administrative orders).

In summary, these orders described the following fraudulent conduct: Continue reading …

House Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing on Artificial Intelligence, Innovation and Competition

by Christina Frangiosa

On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at 10am ET, the House Judiciary Committee’s Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee will hold a hearing entitled, “Artificial Intelligence: Examining Trends in Innovation and Competition.”  During this hearing, the subcommittee will “examine the competitive landscape within the AI sector, emphasizing the importance of solutions that preserve economic dynamism, technological innovation, and America’s global leadership.”

The hearing will be live-streamed, and can be viewed from the Judiciary Committee’s upcoming hearings page:  https://judiciary.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/artificial-intelligence-examining-trends-innovation-and-competition-0.

The scheduled witnesses for this hearing are:

As of this writing, prepared remarks from the witnesses are not yet available on the HJC’s or the Subcommittee’s websites.

USPTO Publishes Updated Trademark Manual Of Examining Procedure

by Christina Frangiosa

On November 27, 2024, the USPTO announced that it has amended its Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (“TMEP” or, “the Manual”).  The changes are summarized at the beginning of the November 2024 version of TMEP – under the Section called “Change Summary,” spanning about 44 pages, if printed.

These edits can be broken into several distinct categories – although the changes themselves are scattered through this update.  Below are the highlights – with the more substantive changes listed first, and the more routine/ administrative/ technical edits listed thereafter in the order of their applicable Section numbers: Continue reading …

USPTO Issues Final Rule on Trademark Filing Fees for FY2025

by Christina Frangiosa

On November 18, 2024, the USPTO issued its Final Rule relating to increases in its trademark filing fees for Fiscal Year 2025.  Setting and Adjusting Trademark Fees During Fiscal Year 2025, 89 Fed. Reg. 91062 (Nov. 18, 2024) (to be codified at 37 C.F.R. pts. 2, 7) (“Final Rule”).  This Final Rule sets or adjusts 28 trademark fees and introduces 7 new fees that had previously not existed.  A number of the re-set fees relate to paper filings, which account for less than 1% of new filings overall (see Final Rule at 91076 – Response to Comment 28), and will not be covered by this post as a result.  Instead, this post will focus on the “electronic filing” fees and, specifically, these new “surcharges” that are explained in more detail in this Final Rule. Continue reading …

USPTO Announces Webinar on Avoiding Trademark Scams

by Christina Frangiosa

On February 27, 2024, the USPTO announced a new webinar on avoiding scams directed to trademark owners, called “Trademark practitioners:  Avoid attorney scams and bad behavior” – to be held March 19, 2024 from 2pm ET to 3:30pm ET.  There’s no cost to attend, but you do need to register in advance:  https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/events/trademark-practitioners-avoid-attorney-scams-and-bad-behavior.

Even though the session appears to be directed specifically to “trademark practitioners” (i.e., outside trademark attorneys, their paralegals, in-house trademark attorneys and their paralegals, etc.), I would expect this session to also be relevant for corporate or business attorneys (in private practice or in-house), business owners and their compliance staff, and any other trademark owner interested in learning more. Continue reading …