Trademark Bill Advances With Agency Powers to Reverse Board (1)

A bill designed to make it easier to purge fraudulent trademarks from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office registry was approved by the House Judiciary Committee with an amendment that would let the agency’s director reverse trademark tribunal decisions.

The committee voice vote Wednesday marks the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020’s first step forward since its introduction in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in March.

The bill (H.R. 6196) by Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) would create an accelerated process for challenging registered trademarks that had allegedly never been used as required for registration. It also ...