Politics
Sens. Menéndez and Rubio resubmit law to defend Cuban trademarks stolen by Castro regime
"Any confiscation or seizure of assets by the Cuban regime is and always will be a criminal act that should not be rewarded by the United States government," said Senator Menéndez
March 13, 2023 8:42am
Updated: March 13, 2023 8:42am
Sens. Marco Rubio and Bob Menéndez once again presented a bill that seeks to defend legitimate Cuban trademarks that were illegally confiscated by the Castro regime after the 1959 revolution.
The No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act would prohibit U.S. courts and executive branch agencies from recognizing, enforcing, or validating any claim of rights to a trademark used in connection with a business or assets seized by the Cuban regime, unless the original owner of the mark has expressly consented to the transfer of the mark.
"Any confiscation or seizure of assets by the Cuban regime is and always will be a criminal act that should not be rewarded by the United States government," said Menéndez.
The New Jersey Democrat added that "this legislation would codify into law the long-standing U.S. policy of supporting rightful owners of stolen property by ensuring that federal courts and the executive branch only recognize the rights of those whose trademarks were illegally seized by the Cuban military dictatorship.
Joined @SenatorMenendez & colleagues in reintroducing the bipartisan and bicameral No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act.https://t.co/nFqiDktbv7 pic.twitter.com/K8sOU03qGA
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) March 10, 2023
Rubio added that the law seeks to protect those Americans who were victims of intellectual property theft perpetuated by the Castro regime.
"For years, the Cuban dictatorship has benefited from the confiscation of property. We must ensure that federal agencies and US courts do not recognize or validate any trademark rights that have been illegally stolen from the rightful owners," the Florida Republican said.
As an example, the bipartisan legislation cites the case of the manufacturer Cuba Ron, which was registered in the U.S. in 1994 under the trademark "Havana Club," which was previously the name of a club the Cuban regime seized in 1959.
The bipartisan and bicameral initiative is also being supported by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, Mike Braun, Thom Tillis, Roger Marshall, Mazie Hirono and Todd Young.
In the U.S. House of Representatives. Reps. Darrell Issa and Debbie Wasserman Schultz are championing the bill.
The proposal was presented by legislators in both Congressional chambers, concurrently.
