Senniger Powers' Associate Julie Jennings Speaks on New Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) Rules.

Senniger Powers' Associate Julie Jennings co-presented a program on September 18 at the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis on TTAB Rules: Times Are A-Changin'. The program discussed new rules issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office that will significantly affect inter partes proceedings before the TTAB as of August 31, 2007. The rules affect the service of complaints, the timing and manner in which discovery and pretrial information is exchanged between parties in inter partes cases, as well as the protection of confidential information.

Ms. Jennings explains that possible implications of the new rules include increased costs and complexity of TTAB proceedings, fewer TTAB proceedings and more federal litigation, and the encouragement of earlier settlements. Click here for a chart summarizing the rule changes. For more information on the rules, contact Julie Jennings.