A bill to amend the Trademark Act of 1946 to provide for the registration of marks consisting of a flag, coat of arms, or other insignia of the United States, or any State or local government, and for other purposes.

Bill: 113-s-1816
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2013-12-12
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Intellectual property

National symbols
Latest action: action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-12-12
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>Amends trademark registration criteria under the Trademark Act of 1946 to specify that the United States, or any state, municipality, county, political subdivision, or other governmental authority in the United States, may register with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) a trademark that consists of, or comprises, its own flag, coat of arms, or other official insignia. (Currently, an applicant's trademark registration is subject to refusal if the mark consists of, or comprises, the flag or coat of arms or other insignia of the United States, or of any state or municipality, or of any foreign nation.)</p>

tv_txt: II 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1816 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 12 (legislative day, December 11), 2013 Ms. Klobuchar (for herself, Mr. Lee , and Mr. Schumer ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend the Trademark Act of 1946 to provide for the registration of marks consisting of a flag, coat of arms, or other insignia of the United States, or any State or local government, and for other purposes.

1. Registration of certain marks of the United States and State and local governments Section 2(b) of the Act entitled An Act to provide for the registration and protection of trademarks used in commerce, to carry out the provisions of certain international conventions, and for other purposes , approved July 6, 1946 (commonly referred to as the Trademark Act of 1946 ; 15 U.S.C. 1052(b) ) is amended by inserting after simulation thereof the following: , except that this subsection shall not prevent the United States, or any State, municipality, county, political subdivision, or other governmental authority in the United States, from obtaining registration under this Act of any mark that consists of or comprises its own flag, coat of arms, or other official insignia .