AND · 15usc1125:commerce-use
VersaTop rejects importing registration/affixation requirements into infringing advertising use. Current territorial limit: Abitron (2023) confines §1125(a)(1) to domestic infringing use in commerce; U.S. consumer confusion alone does not supply domestic conduct. Official update is recorded in NOTES, not silently attributed to the 2019 case.
Exact element source
(1) Any person who, on or in connection with any goods or services, or any container for goods, uses in commerce any word, term, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof, or any false designation of origin, false or misleading description of fact, or false or misleading representation of fact, which—Source:
docroot/ir/usc/title15.jsonl#title15_sec1125; Unicode character offsets [82:394] (end exclusive); SHA-256 0a5680239d11ae3247a99abab2344db45177346d2d2e3050e95c82fb39f3aca7.Routes and case patterns
| Route | Definition | Merits instance blocks | Distinct merits cases | Examples (up to 3 cases per count group) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _whole accepted; provisional (1 case) | The element is decided as a whole: the reasoning turns on no narrower doctrinal sub-question that distinguishes it from any other application of this element. | 1 Satisfied 1; not satisfied 0; excluded context 0 | 1 | Versatop Support Sys., LLC v. Ga. Expo, Inc. — 921 F.3d 1364 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · law (15usc1125: author: Astra2 · not independently reviewed) · applied/merits · counted |
How courts decided this element
| Case | Element | Holding and scope | Pattern | Exact source quotations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Versatop Support Sys., LLC v. Ga. Expo, Inc. — 921 F.3d 1364 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · law (15usc1125: author: Astra2 · not independently reviewed) | Use in commerce connected with goods or services | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: law The legal use question was actually resolved on admitted commercial advertising, not merely announced for remand. This 2019 holding does not resolve later territorial limits. | infringing-use/trade-show-brochures | Georgia Expo admitted that it used VersaTop's marks in its advertising and brochures, and that the parties "compete directly" in the drape and rod industry.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_921.jsonl#/f3d/921/1364-01; Unicode character offsets [19596:19752] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e097d77ff3e2b2660ec97b4240c13672eab0fc9d8f05781fdfaf1b120b8c1ec9.Contrary to this precedent, the district court in this case incorrectly applied the definition of "use in commerce" that is included in the statute for purposes of trademark registration. This definition does not apply to trademark infringement. See Network Automation , 638 F.3d at 1144-45 ; Playboy , 354 F.3d at 1024 n.11.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_921.jsonl#/f3d/921/1364-01; Unicode character offsets [15449:15774] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e097d77ff3e2b2660ec97b4240c13672eab0fc9d8f05781fdfaf1b120b8c1ec9.On the correct law, violation of the Trademark Act was established on the admitted facts.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_921.jsonl#/f3d/921/1364-01; Unicode character offsets [862:951] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e097d77ff3e2b2660ec97b4240c13672eab0fc9d8f05781fdfaf1b120b8c1ec9. |
Court interpretations
interpretation
Contrary to this precedent, the district court in this case incorrectly applied the definition of "use in commerce" that is included in the statute for purposes of trademark registration. This definition does not apply to trademark infringement. See Network Automation , 638 F.3d at 1144-45 ; Playboy , 354 F.3d at 1024 n.11.
Versatop Support Sys., LLC v. Ga. Expo, Inc. — 921 F.3d 1364 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit · 2019 (15usc1125: author: Astra2 · not independently reviewed)
Contrary to this precedent, the district court in this case incorrectly applied the definition of "use in commerce" that is included in the statute for purposes of trademark registration. This definition does not apply to trademark infringement. See Network Automation , 638 F.3d at 1144-45 ; Playboy , 354 F.3d at 1024 n.11.Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_921.jsonl#/f3d/921/1364-01; Unicode character offsets [15449:15774] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e097d77ff3e2b2660ec97b4240c13672eab0fc9d8f05781fdfaf1b120b8c1ec9.VersaTop rejects importing registration/affixation requirements into infringing advertising use. Current territorial limit: Abitron (2023) confines §1125(a)(1) to domestic infringing use in commerce; U.S. consumer confusion alone does not supply domestic conduct. Official update is recorded in NOTES, not silently attributed to the 2019 case.