The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) is a division of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that handles certain types of petitions affecting federal registration of trademarks. Two common types of TTAB petitions are oppositions and cancellations.

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Oppositions are filed against pending trademark applications. After a USPTO Examiner approves an application, the trademark is published. Third parties then have 30 days to file an opposition to prevent the mark from being registered. A cancellation can be filed any time after a registration is issued. If a cancellation petition is granted, the subject trademark will be removed from the register. The Opposer or Petitioner is usually a business that believes it is or will be harmed by the registration.

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Opposition and Cancellation proceedings are somewhat similar to federal litigation. The parties file initial pleadings and may file a variety of motions and/or engage in discovery in which relevant evidence is exchanged. There is then a trial in which the parties present their evidence and argue their case. Generally, TTAB trials consist of filing written briefs, unless one of the parties requests an oral hearing.

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The direct legal consequences of TTAB proceedings are generally limited to deciding the fate of the trademark registration(s) in dispute. However, legal decisions made by the TTAB may be binding on subsequent courts, and the cases should therefore be taken seriously and approached with caution.