[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 18 (Monday, May 7, 2007)]
[Pages 578-579]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message to the Senate Transmitting the Singapore Treaty on the Law of 
Trademarks

May 3, 2007

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

[[Page 579]]

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.

Note: This message was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
May 4. An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this message.