15 U.S.C. § 1064 — Cancellation of registration

submitted 80 years ago by ch. 540 to r/title-15-COMMERCE-AND-TRADE · 734 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

A person who believes a registered mark causes or will cause damage may petition to cancel it on listed grounds and within listed time periods. The section includes special rules for generic, abandoned, fraudulent, certification, unused, and older marks.

A person who believes registration of a mark causes or will cause damage, including likely dilution by blurring or tarnishment, may pay the required fee and petition to cancel a principal-register mark registered under this chapter or either of the two older Acts: (1) within five years after registration under this chapter; (2) within five years after publication under section 1062(c) of an older-Act registration; (3) at any time if the mark became generic for all or some goods or services, is functional, was abandoned, was fraudulently obtained, violates the listed registration rules, or is used by or with the registrant’s permission to misrepresent the source of the goods or services; a partial generic status permits cancellation only for the affected goods or services. A mark is not generic merely because it also names or identifies a unique product or service, and the test is the mark’s primary significance to the relevant public, not buyer motivation. (4) An older-Act mark may be cancelled at any time if it was not published under section 1062(c). (5) A certification mark may be cancelled at any time if the registrant does not control its use, produces or markets certified goods or services, allows use for a noncertification purpose, or discriminatorily refuses to certify or continue certifying goods or services that meet its standards. (6) After three years from registration, a mark may be cancelled at any time if it was never used in commerce for some or all listed goods or services. The Federal Trade Commission may seek cancellation on paragraphs (3) and (5) grounds without the fee. A certification registrant may advertise or promote recognition of its certification program without violating paragraph (5), if it does not itself produce, manufacture, or sell the certified goods or services. Paragraph (6) does not limit the timing of other cancellation grounds. A registration under section 1126(e) or 1141f is not cancelled under paragraph (6) if the registrant proves special circumstances excusing nonuse.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

A petition to cancel a registration of a mark, stating the grounds relied upon, may, upon payment of the prescribed fee, be filed as follows by any person who believes that he is or will be damaged, including as a result of a likelihood of dilution by blurring or dilution by tarnishment under section 1125(c) of this title, by the registration of a mark on the principal register established by this chapter, or under the Act of March 3, 1881, or the Act of February 20, 1905:

(1)

Within five years from the date of the registration of the mark under this chapter.

(2)

Within five years from the date of publication under section 1062(c) of this title of a mark registered under the Act of March 3, 1881, or the Act of February 20, 1905.

(3)

At any time if the registered mark becomes the generic name for the goods or services, or a portion thereof, for which it is registered, or is functional, or has been abandoned, or its registration was obtained fraudulently or contrary to the provisions of section 1054 of this title or of subsection (a), (b), or (c) of section 1052 of this title for a registration under this chapter, or contrary to similar prohibitory provisions of such prior Acts for a registration under such Acts, or if the registered mark is being used by, or with the permission of, the registrant so as to misrepresent the source of the goods or services on or in connection with which the mark is used. If the registered mark becomes the generic name for less than all of the goods or services for which it is registered, a petition to cancel the registration for only those goods or services may be filed. A registered mark shall not be deemed to be the generic name of goods or services solely because such mark is also used as a name of or to identify a unique product or service. The primary significance of the registered mark to the relevant public rather than purchaser motivation shall be the test for determining whether the registered mark has become the generic name of goods or services on or in connection with which it has been used.

(4)

At any time if the mark is registered under the Act of March 3, 1881, or the Act of February 20, 1905, and has not been published under the provisions of subsection (c) of section 1062 of this title.

(5)

At any time in the case of a certification mark on the ground that the registrant (A) does not control, or is not able legitimately to exercise control over, the use of such mark, or (B) engages in the production or marketing of any goods or services to which the certification mark is applied, or (C) permits the use of the certification mark for purposes other than to certify, or (D) discriminately refuses to certify or to continue to certify the goods or services of any person who maintains the standards or conditions which such mark certifies.

(6)

At any time after the 3-year period following the date of registration, if the registered mark has never been used in commerce on or in connection with some or all of the goods or services recited in the registration:

Provided, That the Federal Trade Commission may apply to cancel on the grounds specified in paragraphs (3) and (5) of this section any mark registered on the principal register established by this chapter, and the prescribed fee shall not be required. Nothing in paragraph (5) shall be deemed to prohibit the registrant from using its certification mark in advertising or promoting recognition of the certification program or of the goods or services meeting the certification standards of the registrant. Such uses of the certification mark shall not be grounds for cancellation under paragraph (5), so long as the registrant does not itself produce, manufacture, or sell any of the certified goods or services to which its identical certification mark is applied. Nothing in paragraph (6) shall be construed to limit the timing applicable to any other ground for cancellation. A registration under section 1126(e) or 1141f of this title shall not be cancelled pursuant to paragraph (6) if the registrant demonstrates that any nonuse is due to special circumstances that excuse such nonuse.

Source credit: (July 5, 1946, ch. 540, title I, § 14, 60 Stat. 433; Pub. L. 87–772, § 9, Oct. 9, 1962, 76 Stat. 771; Pub. L. 97–247, § 9(b), Aug. 27, 1982, 96 Stat. 320; Pub. L. 98–620, title I, § 102, Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3335; Pub. L. 100–667, title I, § 115, Nov. 16, 1988, 102 Stat. 3940; Pub. L. 105–330, title II, § 201(a)(4), title III, § 301, Oct. 30, 1998, 112 Stat. 3070; Pub. L. 106–43, § 2(c), Aug. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 218; Pub. L. 109–312, § 3(c), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1732; Pub. L. 116–260, div. Q, title II, § 225(b), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2204.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1946Enacted · Act of July 5, 1946, ch. 540 · 60 Stat. 433
1962Amended · Pub. L. 87-772 · 76 Stat. 771
1982Amended · Pub. L. 97-247 · 96 Stat. 320
1984Amended · Pub. L. 98-620 · 98 Stat. 3335
1988Amended · Pub. L. 100-667 · 102 Stat. 3940
1998Amended · Pub. L. 105-330 · 112 Stat. 3070
1999Amended · Pub. L. 106-43 · 113 Stat. 218
2006Amended · Pub. L. 109-312 · 120 Stat. 1732
2020Amended · Pub. L. 116-260 · 134 Stat. 2204

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by ch. 540 on 1946-07-05.

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