710.D4/254
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Nicaragua (Goold)
Sir: The attention of the Department has been called by the Secretary General of the Inter-American High Commission to the action of Nicaragua in denouncing the Convention for the Protection of Trade Marks signed at Buenos Ares on August 20, 1910.59 It is said that this action by the Nicaraguan Government was based upon the temporary financial difficulties which made difficult the payment of Nicaragua’s quota for the maintenance of the Trade Mark Registration Bureau.
It is felt that the action taken by the Nicaraguan Government in this matter constitutes a serious setback to the movement for the protection of industrial property on the American continent. The establishment of the Trade Mark Registration Bureau was one of the important achievements of the Pan American Financial conferences and of the work of the Inter-American High Commission. This Government is vitally interested in the maintenance of this Bureau because of the need for protection of literary and industrial property as a step towards the promotion of commerce between the American republics. It is difficult to believe that the very small amount represented by Nicaragua’s quota for the support of the Bureau, or the small amount of revenue which Nicaragua might [Page 167] lose through the operation of the Convention, would lead the Government of that country to withdraw from participation in an institution, the work of which means so much to the commercial and cultural interests of the entire continent.
You will bring these considerations to the attention of the Nicaraguan Government and state that the Government of the United States would be very glad if the Government of Nicaragua felt itself able to reconsider its action in this matter, and to withdraw the denunciations of the Convention.
I am [etc.]
- Letter of Oct. 19, 1921; not printed.↩