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Easily Decoding the Lanham Act in 1 Click

This is more of a reference than a blog post, but it will be one of the most helpful resources you will encounter.  The Lanham Act is the series of statutes governing federal trademark law.  Also known as the Trademark Act of 1946, it was named after its chief proponent: Frederick “Fritz” Garland Lanham, a member of the House of Representatives from Texas.  In what I consider a pleasantly surprising coincidence, Lanham attended Vanderbilt University.  Vanderbilt has been producing learned men for centuries, but I digress.

The Lanham Act is referenced heavily throughout trademark law, from trademark examining attorneys during prosecution to courts during litigation.  However, many resources frequently identify specific provisions of the Lanham Act using their precodified names (Section 1, Section 2, etc.) without identifying the location of those provisions in the United States Code.  As a result, those references can be confusing—if not totally useless—unless you are a trademark attorney who reviews the Lanham Act regularly.

To save you time and frustration, I have created a Lanham Act reference guide for you.  The below chart maps the Lanham Act’s provisions to their locations in the United States Code.  Rather than blindly researching, for example, what your examining attorney means by “Section 2(d) refusal,” you can visit this list, click on Section 2 or 15 U.S.C. § 1052, and read the statute that prohibits registration of marks that are likely to be confused with marks already registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  Here’s an excerpt of Section 2:

“No trademark . . . shall be refused registration on the principal register . . . unless it—

. . .

(d) Consists of or comprises a mark which so resembles a mark registered in the Patent and Trademark Office . . . as to be likely, when used on or in connection with the goods of the applicant, to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive . . . .”

The USPTO has created a more voluminous PDF version of this guide containing not only the statutory references shown below, but also the actual text of each statute.  You may view and download that PDF at this USPTO.gov link.  But if all you want to do is view a provision or two of the Lanham Act to try and get your bearings, it is probably easiest to scroll down and click.  You might as well even bookmark this page.

Enjoy, and share with someone who will find it helpful.  Also, did you notice that the title of this post is a double entendre?

***

The Lanham Act

Lanham ActTopicFederal Statute
Title I – The Principal Register
Section 1Application for registration; verification15 U.S.C. § 1051
Section 2Trademarks registrable on principal register; concurrent registration15 U.S.C. § 1052
Section 3Service marks registrable15 U.S.C. § 1053
Section 4Collective marks and certification marks registrable15 U.S.C. § 1054
Section 5Use by related companies affecting validity and registration15 U.S.C. § 1055
Section 6Disclaimer of unregistrable matter15 U.S.C. § 1056
Section 7Certificates of registration15 U.S.C. § 1057
Section 8Duration, affidavits and fees15 U.S.C. § 1058
Section 9Renewal of registration15 U.S.C. § 1059
Section 10Assignment15 U.S.C. § 1060
Section 11Execution of acknowledgments and verifications15 U.S.C. § 1061
Section 12Publication15 U.S.C. § 1062
Section 13Opposition to registration15 U.S.C. § 1063
Section 14Cancellation of registration15 U.S.C. § 1064
Section 15Incontestability of right to use mark under certain conditions15 U.S.C. § 1065
Section 16Interference; declaration by Director15 U.S.C. § 1066
Section 17Interference, opposition, and proceedings for concurrent use registration or for cancellation; notice; Trademark Trial and Appeal Board15 U.S.C. § 1067
Section 18Action of Director in interference, opposition, and proceedings for concurrent use registration or for cancellation15 U.S.C. § 1068
Section 19Application of equitable principles in inter partes proceedings15 U.S.C. § 1069
Section 20Appeals to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board from decisions of examiners15 U.S.C. § 1070
Section 21Appeal to courts15 U.S.C. § 1071
Section 22Registration as constructive notice of claim of ownership15 U.S.C. § 1072
Title II – The Supplemental Register
Section 23Supplemental register15 U.S.C. § 1091
Section 24Publication; not subject to opposition; cancellation15 U.S.C. § 1092
Section 25Registration certificates for marks on principal and supplemental registers to be different15 U.S.C. § 1093
Section 26Provisions of chapter applicable to registrations on supplemental register15 U.S.C. § 1094
Section 27Registration on principal register not precluded15 U.S.C. § 1095
Section 28Registration on supplemental register not used to stop importations15 U.S.C. § 1096
Title III – Notice of Registration
Section 29Notice of registration; display with mark; recovery of profits and damages in infringement suit15 U.S.C. § 1111
Title IV – Classification
Section 30Classification of goods and services; registration in plurality of classes15 U.S.C. § 1112
Title V – Fees and Charges
Section 31Fees15 U.S.C. § 1113
Title VI – Remedies
Section 32Remedies; infringement; innocent infringement by printers and publishers15 U.S.C. § 1114
Section 33Registration on principal register as evidence of exclusive right to use mark; defenses15 U.S.C. § 1115
Section 34Injunctive relief15 U.S.C. § 1116
Section 35Recovery for violation of rights15 U.S.C. § 1117
Section 36Destruction of infringing articles15 U.S.C. § 1118
Section 37Power of court over registration15 U.S.C. § 1119
Section 38Civil liability for false or fraudulent registration15 U.S.C. § 1120
Section 39Jurisdiction of Federal courts; State and local requirements that registered trademarks be altered or displayed differently; prohibition15 U.S.C. § 1121
Section 40Liability of United States and States, and instrumentalities and officials thereof15 U.S.C. § 1122
Section 41Rules and regulations for conduct of proceedings in Patent and Trademark Office15 U.S.C. § 1123
Title VII – Importation Forbidden of Goods Bearing Infringing Marks or Names
Section 42Importation of goods bearing infringing marks or names forbidden15 U.S.C. § 1124
Title VIII – False Designations of Origin, False Descriptions, and Dilution Forbidden
Section 43False designations of origin, false descriptions, and dilution forbidden15 U.S.C. § 1125
Title IX – International Conventions
Section 44International conventions15 U.S.C. § 1126
Title X – Construction and Definitions
Section 45Construction and definitions; intent of chapter15 U.S.C. § 1127
Title XI – Repeal of Previous Acts
Section 46(a)Time of taking effect; repeal of prior acts15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 46(b)Existing registrations under prior acts15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 47(a)Applications pending on effective date of Act15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 47(b)Appeals pending on effective date of Act15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 48Prior acts not repealed15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 49Preservation of existing rights15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 50Severability15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 51Applications pending on effective date of the Trademark Law Revision Act of 198815 U.S.C. § 1058 (note)
Title XII – The Madrid Protocol
Section 60Definitions15 U.S.C. § 1141
Section 61International applications based on United States applications or registrations15 U.S.C. § 1141a
Section 62Certification of the international application15 U.S.C. § 1141b
Section 63Restriction, abandonment, cancellation, or expiration of a basic application or basic registration15 U.S.C. § 1141c
Section 64Request for extension of protection subsequent to international registration15 U.S.C. § 1141d
Section 65Extension of protection of an international registration to the United States under the Madrid Protocol15 U.S.C. § 1141e
Section 66Effect of filing a request for extension of protection of an international registration to the United States15 U.S.C. § 1141f
Section 67Right of priority for request for extension of protection to the United States15 U.S.C. § 1141g
Section 68Examination of and opposition to request for extension of protection; notification of refusal15 U.S.C. § 1141h
Section 69Effect of extension of protection15 U.S.C. § 1141i
Section 70Dependence of extension of protection to the United States on the underlying international registration15 U.S.C. § 1141j
Section 71Duration, affidavits and fees15 U.S.C. § 1141k
Section 72Assignment of an extension of protection15 U.S.C. § 1141l
Section 73Incontestability15 U.S.C. § 1141m
Section 74Rights of extension of protection15 U.S.C. § 1141n
Section 13403Definitions15 U.S.C. § 1141 (note)
Lanham ActTopicFederal Statute
Title I – The Principal Register
Section 1Application for registration; verification15 U.S.C. § 1051
Section 2Trademarks registrable on principal register; concurrent registration15 U.S.C. § 1052
Section 3Service marks registrable15 U.S.C. § 1053
Section 4Collective marks and certification marks registrable15 U.S.C. § 1054
Section 5Use by related companies affecting validity and registration15 U.S.C. § 1055
Section 6Disclaimer of unregistrable matter15 U.S.C. § 1056
Section 7Certificates of registration15 U.S.C. § 1057
Section 8Duration, affidavits and fees15 U.S.C. § 1058
Section 9Renewal of registration15 U.S.C. § 1059
Section 10Assignment15 U.S.C. § 1060
Section 11Execution of acknowledgments and verifications15 U.S.C. § 1061
Section 12Publication15 U.S.C. § 1062
Section 13Opposition to registration15 U.S.C. § 1063
Section 14Cancellation of registration15 U.S.C. § 1064
Section 15Incontestability of right to use mark under certain conditions15 U.S.C. § 1065
Section 16Interference; declaration by Director15 U.S.C. § 1066
Section 17Interference, opposition, and proceedings for concurrent use registration or for cancellation; notice; Trademark Trial and Appeal Board15 U.S.C. § 1067
Section 18Action of Director in interference, opposition, and proceedings for concurrent use registration or for cancellation15 U.S.C. § 1068
Section 19Application of equitable principles in inter partes proceedings15 U.S.C. § 1069
Section 20Appeals to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board from decisions of examiners15 U.S.C. § 1070
Section 21Appeal to courts15 U.S.C. § 1071
Section 22Registration as constructive notice of claim of ownership15 U.S.C. § 1072
Title II – The Supplemental Register
Section 23Supplemental register15 U.S.C. § 1091
Section 24Publication; not subject to opposition; cancellation15 U.S.C. § 1092
Section 25Registration certificates for marks on principal and supplemental registers to be different15 U.S.C. § 1093
Section 26Provisions of chapter applicable to registrations on supplemental register15 U.S.C. § 1094
Section 27Registration on principal register not precluded15 U.S.C. § 1095
Section 28Registration on supplemental register not used to stop importations15 U.S.C. § 1096
Title III – Notice of Registration
Section 29Notice of registration; display with mark; recovery of profits and damages in infringement suit15 U.S.C. § 1111
Title IV – Classification
Section 30Classification of goods and services; registration in plurality of classes15 U.S.C. § 1112
Title V – Fees and Charges
Section 31Fees15 U.S.C. § 1113
Title VI – Remedies
Section 32Remedies; infringement; innocent infringement by printers and publishers15 U.S.C. § 1114
Section 33Registration on principal register as evidence of exclusive right to use mark; defenses15 U.S.C. § 1115
Section 34Injunctive relief15 U.S.C. § 1116
Section 35Recovery for violation of rights15 U.S.C. § 1117
Section 36Destruction of infringing articles15 U.S.C. § 1118
Section 37Power of court over registration15 U.S.C. § 1119
Section 38Civil liability for false or fraudulent registration15 U.S.C. § 1120
Section 39Jurisdiction of Federal courts; State and local requirements that registered trademarks be altered or displayed differently; prohibition15 U.S.C. § 1121
Section 40Liability of United States and States, and instrumentalities and officials thereof15 U.S.C. § 1122
Section 41Rules and regulations for conduct of proceedings in Patent and Trademark Office15 U.S.C. § 1123
Title VII – Importation Forbidden of Goods Bearing Infringing Marks or Names
Section 42Importation of goods bearing infringing marks or names forbidden15 U.S.C. § 1124
Title VIII – False Designations of Origin, False Descriptions, and Dilution Forbidden
Section 43False designations of origin, false descriptions, and dilution forbidden15 U.S.C. § 1125
Title IX – International Conventions
Section 44International conventions15 U.S.C. § 1126
Title X – Construction and Definitions
Section 45Construction and definitions; intent of chapter15 U.S.C. § 1127
Title XI – Repeal of Previous Acts
Section 46(a)Time of taking effect; repeal of prior acts15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 46(b)Existing registrations under prior acts15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 47(a)Applications pending on effective date of Act15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 47(b)Appeals pending on effective date of Act15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 48Prior acts not repealed15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 49Preservation of existing rights15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 50Severability15 U.S.C. § 1051 (note)
Section 51Applications pending on effective date of the Trademark Law Revision Act of 198815 U.S.C. § 1058 (note)
Title XII – The Madrid Protocol
Section 60Definitions15 U.S.C. § 1141
Section 61International applications based on United States applications or registrations15 U.S.C. § 1141a
Section 62Certification of the international application15 U.S.C. § 1141b
Section 63Restriction, abandonment, cancellation, or expiration of a basic application or basic registration15 U.S.C. § 1141c
Section 64Request for extension of protection subsequent to international registration15 U.S.C. § 1141d
Section 65Extension of protection of an international registration to the United States under the Madrid Protocol15 U.S.C. § 1141e
Section 66Effect of filing a request for extension of protection of an international registration to the United States15 U.S.C. § 1141f
Section 67Right of priority for request for extension of protection to the United States15 U.S.C. § 1141g
Section 68Examination of and opposition to request for extension of protection; notification of refusal15 U.S.C. § 1141h
Section 69Effect of extension of protection15 U.S.C. § 1141i
Section 70Dependence of extension of protection to the United States on the underlying international registration15 U.S.C. § 1141j
Section 71Duration, affidavits and fees15 U.S.C. § 1141k
Section 72Assignment of an extension of protection15 U.S.C. § 1141l
Section 73Incontestability15 U.S.C. § 1141m
Section 74Rights of extension of protection15 U.S.C. § 1141n
Section 13403Definitions15 U.S.C. § 1141 (note)
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