Barry Greenbaum Publishes Article in Managing IP on AI’s Growing Role in Trademark Naming and Clearance

Olshan Intellectual Property and Brand Management & Protection partner Barry Greenbaum published an article in Managing IP (subscription required) entitled “AI’s Growing Role in Trademark Naming and Clearance.” In the article, Barry discusses how generative AI is reshaping trademark practice across naming, clearance workflows, design mark analysis and USPTO examination, and what in-house teams must do to manage associated risks. He explains that while AI can significantly shorten early-stage naming and clearance timelines, it cannot replace human judgment in evaluating likelihood of confusion or broader legal risk. As Barry notes, “Teams that treat AI clearance output on the same level as a human-written legal opinion are taking on substantial, unnecessary risk.” The article also highlights recent USPTO AI-driven upgrades that are expected to contribute to a more rigorous examination environment and anticipates further developments including real-time clearance searching and constrained name generation. Barry concludes, “The questions that remain are whether the workflow is designed to catch what the tools inevitably miss, and whether legal is involved early enough to direct the process rather than just reviewing the results.”