On January 3, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a precedential decision in CeramTech GmbH v. Coorstek Bioceramics LLC in which the appellate court affirmed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB) cancellation of CeramTech’s trademark protections for pink-colored ceramic hip components. The Federal Circuit decision underscores the importance of utility patent claims to trademark functionality doctrine even when those claims don’t explicitly disclose the utilitarian advantage of the design registered as a trademark.

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