The United States opens up the way to the theft of Cuban trademarks
MinRex | Tuesday, 10 December 2024 | Click here for original article
Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba rejects, in the strongest possible terms, the so called “No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act”, recently enacted by President Biden, which was promoted by the anti-Cuban sectors in the Congress of that country. This is a new unilateral coercive measure aimed at reinforcing the blockade against the Cuban economy. It widens the scope of Section 211 of the Appropriations Act for the fiscal year 1999 which, according to the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization, infringes upon the international system for the protection of intellectual property.
This law has dealt a new blow to the international system for the protection of industrial property and confirms the US contempt for international law institutions, particularly the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and the Paris Convention on the Protection of Industrial Property.
The “No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act” would work as a letter of marque opening up the way to consolidate the theft of the Cuban trademarks that have been legally registered at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The attitude of the US government contrasts with that of the Cuban authorities, which have always strictly abided by international agreements related to intellectual property to which Cuba and the United States are parties. Nowadays, 6 448 US trademarks are registered and protected in Cuba.
Once again, the US government makes space for the darkest interests of the most aggressive anti-Cuban sectors, whose manipulation of the US political system has become a usual practice. The same happened back in 1996, when the infamous and colonialist Helms-Burton Act, also called by some the ‘Bacardi Act’, was approved. Bacardi, which played a major role in the drafting of the Helms-Burton Act and the so called Section 211, is also responsible for the hardships imposed on Cuba by those who refuse to accept the path of independence and sovereignty chosen by the Cuban people.
