Definition[]
U.S. trademark law[]
The Principal Register is the primary trademark register of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. When a mark has been registered on the Principal Register, the mark is entitled to all the rights provided by the Trademark Act. The advantages of owning a registration on the Principal Register include the following:
- Constructive notice to the public of the registrant's claim of ownership of the mark[1];
- A legal presumption of the registrant's ownership of the mark and registrant's exclusive right to use the mark nationwide on or in connection with the goods and/or services listed in the registration[2];
- A date of constructive use of the mark as of the filing date of the application[3];
- The ability to bring an action concerning the mark in federal court[4];
- The ability to file the U.S. registration with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to prevent importation of infringing foreign goods[5];
- The registrant’s exclusive right to use a mark in commerce on or in connection with the goods or services covered by the registration can become "incontestable," subject to certain statutory defenses[6]; and
- The use of the U.S. registration as a basis to obtain registration in foreign countries.