A Roll of the Dice for International Trademark Owners

As international businesses seek to expand across borders, including by availing themselves of legal tools (such as the Madrid Protocol) to register in the United States trademarks developed abroad, there is surprisingly little guidance as to what enforceable rights under U.S. law actually result from this process. However, as shown by the recent decision, In re Casino de Monaco Trademark Litigation, even well-established foreign companies can encounter difficulties enforcing rights not grounded in traditional U.S. trademark law principles of use in commerce.