New Trademark Law Might Restrict Free Speech
From Editor & Publisher:
This is a big wake-up call for defenders of free speech in the United States, an urgent one, and worrisomely little known.
Embedded deep in H.R. 683—“The Trademark Dilution Revision Act,” which awaits what may well be a last look in the U.S. House of Representatives before being signed into law by President Bush—is language that would remove key free-speech protections that have been part of U.S. trademark law since 1996.
With only the most minimal notice in the mainstream press, the bill as it currently stands would remove three exceptions from part of the present trademark law:
• News reporting and commentary.
• Fair use.
• Non-commercial use.