An adversarial proceeding between an applicant and opposer, which takes place under the auspices of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and attempts to resolve whether registration of an applicant’s pending trademark registration would infringe and damage the opposer’s existing mark. Any person who believes they will be damaged by the registration of a mark on the Principal Register may file an opposition with the USPTO within thirty (30) days of the mark's publication in theOfficial Gazette. Typically, oppositions are filed when a mark is (1) likely to confuse consumers with respect to an existing mark, (2) descriptive, (3) generic, (4) misdescriptive, (5) deceptive, or (6) registered underfraud.
