Principal Register

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:


 * 1) Constructive notice to the public of the registrant’s claim of ownership of the mark ;
 * 2) 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 ;
 * 3) A date of constructive use of the mark as of the filing date of the application ;
 * 4) The ability to bring an action concerning the mark in federal court ;
 * 5) The ability to file the U.S. registration with the U.S. Customs Service to prevent importation of infringing foreign goods ;
 * 6) 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 ; and
 * 7) The use of the U.S. registration as a basis to obtain registration in foreign countries.