U.S. Lawyer Rule Curbs Sham Trademark Applications, Iancu says

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is reining in fraudulent trademark applications thanks to a new rule that non-U.S. residents must use a U.S. attorney to secure and maintain marks, agency director Andrei Iancu said.

“So far, it looks like it’s working really well,” Iancu said Oct. 25 at the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s 2019 annual meeting. “At least it dramatically cuts down on pro se applications from overseas where we have seen the highest levels of fraudulent filings.”

The office implemented the rule, which bars foreign pro se applications, Aug. 3 in a bid to stem a flood ...