State Legislatures are demonstrating an increased willingness to enact innovative trademark legislation. Increasingly, we are witnessing the states experimenting and wrestling with IP issues and actively engaged in creating legislative solutions for responsible trademark use and enforcement, as well as, recognizing trademarks as a potential source of state revenue. A recent publication was submitted by our Trademark Legislation Committee (chaired by Jim Bikoff). I had the opportunity to write this article along with my co-chair Matthew Hintz as part of the ongoing efforts of the State Legislation Sub-Committee. One of the bills assists Georgia farmers in their efforts to promote Georgia agriculture through the use of a collective trademark, while pending legislation in Washington aims at deriving revenue from trademarks associated with marijuana. Overall, the article identifies several state bills of interest in Georgia, Minnesota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia, as well as local bills in New York City. View the article in our December ABA-IPL e-newsletter.
http://www.americanbar.org/publications/section_enews_home/intelprop_eNews_december2013.html#three