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Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1995 (Public Law 104–98, 109 Stat. 985), United States of America

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Details Details Year of Version 1996 Dates Entry into force: January 16, 1996 Type of Text Main IP Laws Subject Matter Trademarks, Trade Names

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Main text(s) Main text(s) English Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1995 (Public Law 104–98, 109 Stat. 985)        


109 STAT. 985PUBLIC LAW 104–98—JAN. 16, 1996

Public Law 104–98 104th Congress

An Act To amend the Trademark Act of 1946 to make certain revisions relating to the

protection of famous marks.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1995’’.

SEC. 2. REFERENCE TO THE TRADEMARK ACT OF 1946.

For purposes of this Act, the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to provide for the registration and protection of trade-marks used in commerce, to carry out the provisions of certain international conventions, and for other purposes’’, approved July 5, 1946 (15 U.S.C. 1051 and following), shall be referred to as the ‘‘Trademark Act of 1946’’.

SEC. 3. REMEDIES FOR DILUTION OF FAMOUS MARKS.

(a) REMEDIES.—Section 43 of the Trademark Act of 1946 (15 U.S.C. 1125) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

‘‘(c)(1) The owner of a famous mark shall be entitled, subject to the principles of equity and upon such terms as the court deems reasonable, to an injunction against another person’s commercial use in commerce of a mark or trade name, if such use begins after the mark has become famous and causes dilution of the distinctive quality of the mark, and to obtain such other relief as is provided in this subsection. In determining whether a mark is distinctive and famous, a court may consider factors such as, but not limited to—

‘‘(A) the degree of inherent or acquired distinctiveness of the mark;

‘‘(B) the duration and extent of use of the mark in connec- tion with the goods or services with which the mark is used;

‘‘(C) the duration and extent of advertising and publicity of the mark;

‘‘(D) the geographical extent of the trading area in which the mark is used;

‘‘(E) the channels of trade for the goods or services with which the mark is used;

‘‘(F) the degree of recognition of the mark in the trading areas and channels of trade used by the marks’ owner and the person against whom the injunction is sought;

‘‘(G) the nature and extent of use of the same or similar marks by third parties; and

15 USC 1051 note.

Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1995.

Jan. 16, 1996 [H.R. 1295]

VerDate 22-DEC-95 02:58 Jan 19, 1996 Jkt 029139 PO 00098 Frm 00001 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6581 PUBL98.104 apps06

109 STAT. 986 PUBLIC LAW 104–98—JAN. 16, 1996

‘‘(H) whether the mark was registered under the Act of March 3, 1881, or the Act of February 20, 1905, or on the principal register. ‘‘(2) In an action brought under this subsection, the owner

of the famous mark shall be entitled only to injunctive relief unless the person against whom the injunction is sought willfully intended to trade on the owner’s reputation or to cause dilution of the famous mark. If such willful intent is proven, the owner of the famous mark shall also be entitled to the remedies set forth in sections 35(a) and 36, subject to the discretion of the court and the principles of equity.

‘‘(3) The ownership by a person of a valid registration under the Act of March 3, 1881, or the Act of February 20, 1905, or on the principal register shall be a complete bar to an action against that person, with respect to that mark, that is brought by another person under the common law or a statute of a State and that seeks to prevent dilution of the distinctiveness of a mark, label, or form of advertisement.

‘‘(4) The following shall not be actionable under this section: ‘‘(A) Fair use of a famous mark by another person in

comparative commercial advertising or promotion to identify the competing goods or services of the owner of the famous mark.

‘‘(B) Noncommercial use of a mark. ‘‘(C) All forms of news reporting and news commentary.’’.

(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading for title VIII of the Trademark Act of 1946 is amended by striking ‘‘AND FALSE DESCRIPTIONS’’ and inserting ‘‘, FALSE DESCRIPTIONS, AND DILUTION’’. SEC. 4. DEFINITION.

Section 45 of the Trademark Act of 1946 (15 U.S.C. 1127) is amended by inserting after the paragraph defining when a mark shall be deemed to be ‘‘abandoned’’ the following:

‘‘The term ‘dilution’ means the lessening of the capacity of a famous mark to identify and distinguish goods or services, regard- less of the presence or absence of—

‘‘(1) competition between the owner of the famous mark and other parties, or

‘‘(2) likelihood of confusion, mistake, or deception.’’.

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109 STAT. 987PUBLIC LAW 104–98—JAN. 16, 1996

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 1295:

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 104–374 (Comm. on the Judiciary). CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 141 (1995):

Dec. 12, considered and passed House. Dec. 29, considered and passed Senate.

Æ

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.

Approved January 16, 1996.

15 USC 1125 note.

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