Lyons v. American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

Lyons (defendant) helped found a veterinary specialty organization, was dismissed from its organizing committee in 2004, and shortly after independently registered the organization's name as a trademark on the supplemental register despite never offering any educational services herself; the remaining founders continued building the organization, which gained accreditation as the College (plaintiff) in 2010 and began educating and certifying veterinarians through numerous programs. The College petitioned to cancel Lyons's registration, and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled her registration void because she had never actually owned the mark.