[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 72 (Thursday, May 3, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S5609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY--TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 110-2

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous 
consent that the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following 
treaty transmitted to the Senate on May 3, 2007, by the President of 
the United States:
  Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks, Treaty Document No. 110-2.
  I further ask that the treaty be considered as having been read the 
first time; that it be referred, with accompanying papers, to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed; and that the 
President's message be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The message of the President is as follows:
To the Senate of the United States:
  I transmit herewith for the Senate's advice and consent to 
ratification the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks (the 
``Treaty'' or ``Singapore Treaty'') adopted and signed by the United 
States at Singapore on March 28, 2006. I also transmit for the 
information of the Senate a report of the Department of State with 
respect to the Treaty.
  If ratified by the United States, the Treaty would offer significant 
benefits to U.S. trademark owners and national trademark offices, 
including the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The beneficial 
features of the Trademark Law Treaty of 1994 (the ``1994 TLT''), to 
which the United States is a party, are included in the Singapore 
Treaty, as well as the improvements to the 1994 TLT that the United 
States Government sought to achieve through the revision effort. Key 
improvements allow for national trademark offices to take advantage of 
electronic communication systems as an efficient and cost-saving 
alternative to paper communications, at such time as the office is 
ready to embrace the technology. The Treaty also includes trademark 
license recordation provisions that reduce the formalities that 
trademark owners face when doing business in a country that is a 
Contracting Party that requires trademark license recordation. The goal 
of these provisions is to reduce the damaging effects that can result 
from failure to record a license in those jurisdictions that require 
recordation. These and other improvements create a more attractive 
treaty for World Intellectual Property Organization Member States. 
Consequently, once the Treaty is in force, it is expected to increase 
the efficiency of national trademark offices, which in turn is expected 
to create efficiencies and cost savings for U.S. trademark owners 
registering and maintaining trademarks abroad.
  Ratification of the Treaty is in the best interests of the United 
States. I recommend, therefore, that the Senate give early and 
favorable consideration to the Treaty and give its advice and consent 
to ratification.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, May 3, 2007.

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