Comment regarding Globally Protected Marks List

[Bruce Longbottom <LONGBOTTOM_BRUCE@xxxxxxxxx>]

Please add our company's concerns to the other concerns already stated 
regarding the high number of national trademark registrations required for 
a mark to be eligible for Globally Protected Mark status.  There are 
approximately 195 countries in the world (see 
http://geography.about.com/cs/countries/a/numbercountries.htm).  Thus, 
requiring 200 national registrations is impossible, unless the same mark 
was registered as of November 1, 2008 more than once in a country.  Was 
that the intent?  And requiring 300 national registrations if another 
party also owns a registration for that trademark would be even more 
unlikely. 

Also please consider, in the case of a trademark registered by multiple 
parties (such as LINCOLN for cars and for banking services), whether each 
mark could be a Globally Protected Mark in its own category of 
goods/services, without the need to meet the additional requirements (300 
registrations and three court judgments of fame). 

We generally support this effort to better protect trademarks on the 
Internet, and reserve the right to provide additional comments.  Thank you 
to all involved.

Bruce Longbottom
Associate General Counsel
Trademarks, Copyrights & Information Technology
Eli Lilly and Company
phone (317) 651-1346
fax (317) 276-1919
longbottom_bruce@xxxxxxxxx