International Trademark Laws Vital to Global Businesses
October 22, 2011
Companies go to great lengths to protect their trademarks and logos. A recent conference by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) highlighted the importance and the difficulty of doing that. The two day event drew more than 10,000 visitors of all ages
.
Costumed characters were doing more than amusing visitors as they roamed around the National Trademark Expo - they were educating them.
"Trademarks extend not only to a picture or a logo but we have some characters trademarks," noted USPTO Commissioner Deborah Cohn. "So children actually see a lot of trademarks and have a lot to do with trademarks. We want people of all ages to know that it is very important to buy legitimate products rather than counterfeit products."
Cohn adds that trademarks can take many other forms, as well, including colors, smells and sounds. That surprises many Expo visitors.
"[Take for example] the lion's roar at the beginning of the MGM films. That is registered as a trademark. So maybe you could use a lion's roar for something completely different, but not for the films," Cohn added.
Trademark violations can hurt a business' reputation, and its bottom line. Last year, U.S. officials seized almost $200 million worth of counterfeit products, which looked like the real thing.
Consumers can be hurt, too. C. T. Toner is with GED Testing Service, which develops an exam for earning a U.S. high school equivalency diploma. It has more than 3000 testing sites worldwide.
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