The New Trademark Modernization Act: Its Impact on Foreign Trademark Owners
By Stacey C. Kalamaras
Intellectual Property,
March 2022
The Trademark Modernization Act ("TMA") was signed into law on December 27, 2020, to address the increase in fraudulent trademark filings by foreign trademark owners, many of which reside in China. The TMA amends the Trademark Act and became mostly effective at the USPTO on December 18, 2021. These changes will have a tremendous impact on the integrity of the US trademark registry. The TMA’s sweeping changes will have the greatest impact on foreign trademark owners, who are allowed to apply to register trademarks in the US without first demonstrating use in commerce.
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