Issa Bill Banning U.S. Courts from Enforcing Stolen Trademarks Signed into Law
WASHINGTON – On Sunday, December 1st, 2024, the bipartisan No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act authored by Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) was signed into law by President Biden. The bill was co-led by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) and advanced in the Senate by Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
“This bill righted a historic injustice by ensuring that American trademarks stolen by the Cuban regime will no longer be recognized on U.S. soil. This is more than just a law on the books: It is a declaration that the bond between the American people and their intellectual property is sacred, and its confiscation without consent is no less of a theft than the robbing of a bank. My thanks to Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, as well as Senators Rubio and Cortez Masto, for their leadership and dedication to this very just cause,” said Rep. Issa.
“Our most fundamental responsibility is protecting Americans from being victimized by our adversaries. This means standing up to foreign malign actors who take advantage of loopholes in our laws to profit from stolen trademarks.” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “I’ve heard Cuban-American constituents recount how their families were stripped of hard-earned wealth, expropriated by autocratic regimes. I’m grateful to President Biden for signing our bill into law and demonstrating the United States’ continuing commitment to combating intellectual property theft.”
The bill will prohibit U.S. courts and executive branch agencies from recognizing, enforcing, or otherwise validating any assertion of rights by an individual for a trademark used in connection with a business or assets confiscated by the Cuban regime, unless the original owner of the trademark expressly consented to the transfer of the trademark.
The bill text can be found here.