Realty Times February 13, 2002

NAR Trademark Hearing Results Could Take Weeks
by Realty Times Staff

According to National Association of Realtors attorney Laurene Janik, the Feb. 8th trademark hearing brought before the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office took place as scheduled. The board will produce a written decision, which could take weeks or months. Agent News will report the decision as soon as the results are in.

The question before the board is whether the terms Realtor and Realtors are generic or words which can be trademarked.

Should the decision go against the NAR, the words Realtor and Realtors can no longer be used as membership or servicemarks, a form of trademark. The Realtor block logo was not challenged, according to Janik.

See previous stories on the topic for more details.



Copyright © 2002 Realty Times. All Rights Reserved.

With an award winning staff of writers providing up to the minute real estate news and advice, thousands of REALTORS® in North America reporting daily market conditions, and a nationally broadcast television news program, Realty Times is the one-stop shop for real estate information. That's why over 10,000 real estate professionals have turned to us for their publicity needs.