In a major victory for the famed southern rock group the Marshall Tucker Band (MTB), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted MTB’s petition for cancellation of respondent’s two trademark registrations.
The petition for cancellation was filed by the Marshall Tucker Band Inc., the legal touring entity of the band and run by original band member Doug Gray, against MT Industries, Inc., an entity run by the band’s former manager, who falsely claimed ownership of the group’s name and logo in order to secure trademarks used in merchandising and licensing transactions.
Following a hearing on January 27, 2021, the TTAB issued a decision on March 30 finding that MT Industries did not own any rights in the involved marks when it filed the applications that matured into trademark registrations, and was therefore not entitled to file said registrations and granted the Marshall Tucker Band’s petition for cancellation.
The Venable team was led by Sarah Brooks.