To amend the Trademark Act of 1946 to correct an error in the provisions relating to remedies for dilution.
Public Law 112-190 · H.R. 6215 · 112th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Oct 5, 2012 · Commerce
Sponsor: Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX-21)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends the Trademark Act of 1946 to specify that ownership of a valid federal registration of a mark is a complete bar to an action with respect to the mark that: (1) is brought by another person under the common law or a statute of a state; and (2) seeks to prevent dilution (by blurring or by tarnishment) or asserts any claim of actual or likely damage or harm to the distinctiveness or reputation of a mark, label, or form of advertisement. (Removes any such federal-registration defense with respect to dilution claims under federal law and specifies that such a defense is only available in response to dilution claims under state law.)
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.
- Oct 5, 2012Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 112-190.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 25, 2012FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 24, 2012FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Sep 22, 2012FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 12, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sep 11, 2012FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 6215.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Smith (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 10, 2012CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 465.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 112-647.
- Aug 1, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 26, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.