Washington, D.C. – The Senate passed the No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) that would ban U.S. courts from enforcing trademarks that were stolen by the Cuban government following the Cuban Revolution. The legislation has passed the House of Representatives and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“Trademarks stolen by the communist Cuban regime should not be honored in any American court,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This bipartisan legislation will reaffirm the United States’ commitment to standing up to bad actors and protecting intellectual property. I look forward to President Biden signing it into law.”
The No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act would prohibit the use of a trademark when the individual asserting trademark rights knew or had reason to know at the time of acquisition that the trademark was the same or substantially similar to the trademark or name used in connection with a business or asset confiscated by the Cuban government.
Senator Cortez Masto has worked to protect intellectual property rights and prevent foreign bad actors from interfering in trade. She called on the U.S. Trade Representative to increase transparency in trade negotiations following action to waive intellectual property rules at the World Trade Organization. She ensured provisions in the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 to promote human rights, support the economic empowerment of women, and address discrimination in our nation’s trade and development program.
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