U.S. Trademark Law

United States trademark law is mainly governed by the Lanham Act. “Common law” trademark rights are acquired automatically when a business uses a name or logo in commerce, and are enforceable in state courts. Marks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are given a higher degree of protection in federal courts than unregistered marks—both registered and unregistered trademarks are granted some degree of federal protection under the Lanham Act 43(a).

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Related Resources

• Copyright Law
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act (PDF, 277 KB, 60 pages, January 1999)
• U.S. Patent Law, U.S. Code 35, Chapter 26
• Copyright.gov
• United States Government Works and Copyright Act of 1976 (Word document, 16 KB, 2 pages, June 2011)

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