Fryer

SPECIAL NOTICE Design Treaty (Hague Agreement) -- U. S. MEMBERSHIP IS MOVING CLOSER On August 2, 2012, U. S. Senate Democratic and Republican leadership filed a bill in the U. S. Senate, S. 3486 (112th Cong., 2d Sess.), moving the U. S. closer to becoming a member of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Design... s (Hague Agreement). The legislation can be viewed by going to the Library of Congress web site at URL http://thomas.loc.gov, entering the bill ID, S. 3486, and changing the search to "Bill Number." A lot of people have contributed to bringing U. S. membership in the Hague Agreement close to completion, including the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) leadership and staff at the treaty preparatory meetings and diplomatic conference. Congressional leadership and staff worked on successful ratification of the treaty and preparing the current bill for consideration. It is not easy to organize the steps needed to implement U. S. treaty membership, a wise precaution, usually. Also, there were many administrative priorities that had to be determined. It is time to look forward to completing U. S. Hague membership, now that it is on track to be finished. So far there are several indications that Congress and the administration recognize that Hague Agreement membership is a significant economic opportunity for U. S. business. The treaty will allow more coordinated filing for intellectual property product design protection, at lower cost, and it will be easier for small and medium size businesses to utilize design protection systems around the world. A global design protection filing approach is one of the best ways to stop product design knock offs and counterfeiting. It is still important for design owners to consult with an attorney experienced in U. S. and foreign design law to plan and implement international design protection. Major professional organizations and companies have been urging U. S. Hague Agreement membership. No implementing legislation has been ...Read More