Arizona republican., 1919-06-29
Traffic In Trade
 Marks
BY FREDERICK J. HAsKIN

WASHINGTON, D. C., June 23- | Not long ago, an American piano con- | cern, receiving many inquiries con- corning pianos and piano players from ! a certain Latin American country, de- 1 cided to open an agency there. Sales rooms were rented, and a couple of salesmen were sent down in charge of a large cargo of musical instruments. On the day that the agency was to open, small, suave man called upon the head salesman, and informed him in a bewildering mixture of Spanish and English that no pianos bearing that particular name could be sold in his country.
 Why not" demanded the salesman.
 Because" said the visitor, your trade mark is already registered here"
 The salesman thought quickly His firm had already spent thousands of dollars in shipping pianos and estab- fishing the agency. Several orders had already been sent in. It was too late to turn back, Therefore, he sup pressed his irritation and smiled blandly.
 How much do you want?" he in quired. The visitor asserted indig- nantly that he did not want anything. How could the salesman so misjudge him. It was an insult-Bath, Never theless, he finally allowed himself to be insulted to the extent of two thousand dollars, and the American concern gained possession of it's trade mark.
 This is only one of many incidents recently occurring which show that the traffic in American trade marks throughout Latin America is being re- sumed with renewed vigor, after it's temporary interruption during the war. Nearly every issue of the official bull letins of several Latin American coun- tries contain applications for trade mark registration that are evidently fraudulent or at least unauthorized. Fortunately, these bulletins are regu- larly examined by the Bureou of For eign and Domestic Commerce in Wash ington, and all attempts to appropriate American trade marks noted. The bureau then sends a protest to the country in which the registration is made, and notifies the owner of the trade mark here. Several hundreds of such notices have been sent out in the past few months, and in many cases Americans have been able to rescue their captured marks. But it is impossible always to identify the marks examined, and frequently the bureau is unable to locate the owners. Furthermore, the time that necessar- fly elapses before the publications are received from the more remote coun- tries, like Argentina, is often sufficient to enable the local applicant to com plete his registration before any oppo- sition can be brought.
 The bureau. therefore, urges every American manufacturer promptly to register his trade mark in every Latin American country in which he con- templates doing business either in the immediate or remote future. Most Americans, believing that the Latin American law is the same as that in the United States, which establishes priority of use as the basis of owner ship of trade mark. neglect to do this until it is too late.
 Registration is not very expensive. It costs about s175 in each country, including the attorneys fees. has much as the procedure for procuring the registration of trade marks is ex- tremely complicated in Latin Ameri- can countries, it is best to employ an experienced trade mark attorney. un- less you happen to be represented by competent and irreproachable foreign agents The names of attorneys en-
 gagged in trade mark practice in Latin l America and elsewhere will be fur
 nished upon request, by the bureau
 although it refuses to recommend any l of them.
 ] The constant traffic in American ] trade marks in Latin America is made i possible by the law, which provides l that a trade mark belongs to the first i person who registers it. regardless of whether he uses it or not Thus, a i Latin American who has not the l slightest idea of manufacturing or 1 selling automobiles, can register g well-known automobile trades1nsfk iF
 his country for purely
 purposes. In other words, he buss