Holland & Hart trademark partner Tim Getzoff shares insights with Westlaw Today on the US Supreme Court’s decision to apply US trademark laws only to domestic infringement, demonstrating “a desire for the federal government to conform to prevailing views around the world.” Discussing possible difficulties ahead, Westlaw Today shares, “Since 1952, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Steele v. Bulova Watch Co., 344 U.S. 280 (1952), the circuits have developed different tests for defining trademark law’s international scope.”
Getzoff warns that the “Supreme Court’s decision to veer from what these circuits have held could have significant implications for U.S. trademark holders.” Adding, “Foreign counterfeiting of major U.S. brands continues to be a significant problem. This opinion makes it more difficult for U.S. companies to enforce their trademarks and stem the flow of counterfeit goods into the U.S.”
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Read the full Westlaw Today article online here: “Supreme Court conforms with international trademark norms, attorneys say,” July 5, 2023 (subscription needed).