15.26 Trademark Damages—Actual or Statutory Notice (15 U.S.C. § 1111)

            To recover damages, the plaintiff has the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant had [either statutory or] actual notice that the plaintiff’s trademark was registered. 

            [Defendant had statutory notice if:] 

[(1)      plaintiff displayed the trademark with the words “Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office”] [or]

[(2)      plaintiff displayed the trademark with the words “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.”] [or]

[(3)      plaintiff displayed the trademark with the letter R enclosed within a circle, thus ®.] 

Comment 

            For a discussion of the notice requirement, see 3 J. Thomas McCarthy, McCarthy on Trademarks and Unfair Competition § 19:144 (5th ed. 2019).

Revised March 2024