Sesame Workshop
Trademark enforcement profile · on record 2002–2025
Yes. Sesame Workshop has filed federal trademark enforcement actions naming online sellers as defendants. On record (2002–2025): 3 federal "Schedule A" trademark infringement (and frequently counterfeiting) lawsuits in which online sellers are named under a sealed defendant exhibit — these proceedings, predominantly filed in the Northern District of Illinois, typically seek ex parte temporary restraining orders under 15 U.S.C. §1116(d) that direct marketplaces and payment processors to restrain the listed defendants' accounts; 4 federal trademark or copyright lawsuits; 6 oppositions and cancellation petitions at the USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (prevailed in 40% of merits decisions).
Data summary based on public records (USPTO TTAB proceedings and PACER/CourtListener federal court dockets). Figures reflect filings on record, not a characterization of the merits or good faith of any individual action. Not legal advice.
Selling anything that might resemble their marks?
Check your design against Sesame Workshop's registered marks — and 13M+ others — before you list.
Check your design freeFree trial · no card · 3 checks that never expire
Federal court filings
Schedule-A cases list defendants under a sealed exhibit and commonly seek ex parte temporary restraining orders under 15 U.S.C. §1116(d). When granted, the court order directs marketplaces (Etsy, Amazon, eBay) and payment processors (PayPal, Stripe) to restrain the listed defendants’ accounts pending the proceeding.
At the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB)
Prevailed in 40% of proceedings the Board actually decided on the merits (settled and withdrawn proceedings excluded from this calculation).
Designs Sesame Workshop has opposed
Real trademark applications Sesame Workshop challenged at the USPTO — the kind of design that draws an opposition. If your artwork looks like one of these, expect pushback. Each links to its USPTO docket.
Source: USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board records. “Prevailed” means Sesame Workshop got the outcome it sought; settled/withdrawn cases ended without a Board ruling on the merits. Images from public USPTO records.
Marks Sesame Workshop has asserted in proceedings
| Mark | Serial | Proceedings | Won / lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| SESAME STREETtext | 72360844 | 6 | 2 / 1 |
| 123 SESAME STREET | 78244980 | 4 | 2 / 1 |
| 123 SESAME STREET | 77218246 | 4 | 2 / 1 |
| SESAME STREETtext | 75351849 | 4 | 2 / 1 |
| SESAME STREETtext | 73125106 | 4 | 2 / 1 |
| SESAME STREETtext | 73125105 | 4 | 2 / 1 |
| ADVANCING CHILDREN'S LEARNING IN A DIGITAL AGE THE JOAN GANZ COONEY CENTER AT SESAME WORKSHOP | 77395837 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SESAME BEGINNINGStext | 78242470 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SESAME BEGINNINGS | 78690415 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SESAME STREETtext | 74473602 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SESAME STREETtext | 73032247 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SESAME STREETtext | 73033761 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SESAME STREETtext | 73300294 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SESAME STREETtext | 73125020 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| 123 SESAME STREET | 77217918 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| 123 SESAME STREET | 77217816 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SESAME WORKSHOPtext | 75908339 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SESAME STUDIOStext | 87281621 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| PLAZA SESAMOtext | 78975485 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| PLAZA SESAMOtext | 78139441 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SESAME PLACEtext | 73283111 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| SHALOM SESAMEtext | 77946021 | 3 | 1 / 1 |
| 3-2-1 CONTACTtext | 85757511 | 2 | 0 / 2 |
| CTW SESAME STREET | 75339726 | 2 | 1 / 1 |
From public USPTO records. A mark is listed when it appears as a senior asserted mark in TTAB or federal-court proceedings on file. Serial links open the USPTO TSDR record.
Selling a design that may resemble Sesame Workshop’s registered marks?
Run a visual similarity check against Sesame Workshop’s registered marks — and 13M+ other USPTO trademark images — before you list. Takes about 10 seconds.
Run a free visual checkFAQ
Data sources: publicly published USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings (1951–2026, with possible gaps before electronic filing) and U.S. federal court dockets (PACER/CourtListener, nature-of-suit codes 840 and 820). Figures reflect filings on record and do not characterize the merits, validity, or legitimacy of any individual action by Sesame Workshop. Trademark holders have legal rights — and in some doctrines, an obligation — to enforce registered marks. This page does not provide legal advice; consult licensed counsel for case-specific questions. See the full leaderboard.