US state battles with French fashion designer
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Who owns the name Montana? The American state says nobody, despite the claims of the French designer Claude Montana who has registered exclusive rights to the word for certain products.
Marc Racicot, the Governor of Montana, has asked the US Commerce Department for a ruling that no one can restrict use of a generic word that refers to a geographic location.
In a letter to Bruce Lehman, commissioner of patents and trademarks, the Governor said he is concerned that the exclusivity claim of Claude Montana could affect hundreds of Montana businesses that use the state name to identify themselves or their products.
The issue arose when Tom and Ann Dooling of Dillon, Montana, tried to register a trademark for the name of their clothing business "Montana Knits".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments