Steve Chabot wants to clean up. Also with the Swiss coat of arms. Chabot is an arch-conservative, US-members of Parliament from the industrial city of Cincinnati, a Republican on the line from Donald Trump, just before the end of his political career. But before that, he wants to clean up once again.

Normally, Chabot fights against taxes, bureaucracy, and abortions. This time he takes on the Swiss coat-of-arms to the visor. Chabot wants to delete a paragraph from the U.S. criminal law. In title 18, Section 708, is threatening in it companies and private persons to a fine and six months in jail, if you are in need of the Swiss coat of arms for business purposes.

laws are largely a dead letter

without a replacement, you should delete this Chapter, and adds Chabot, and eight more. Criminal law protection in the United States in addition to the Swiss cross also the Logo of the club "4-H", a kind of youth, or the "Smokey Bear" and "Woodsy Owl", a two-mascot of the US forestry service Advertising.

All of these laws are largely a dead letter. The determination of the Swiss coat-of-arms is come a long way since its introduction in 1936, not a single Change to the application, such as the right of publication, Lawfare and criminal lawyer Mike Chase is determined. Only the US patent office have mentioned a few times in decisions. On a media request Chabot did not respond, but he explained his motives in a press release: "We need to ensure that illegal acts are adequately punished. But we are not allowed to pursue people for honest mistakes or bona fide conduct under criminal law." The Republican has found for his initiative in the house of representatives, a clear majority, even the fractious Republicans and Democrats were not.

Switzerland will not fight back

Not even the Switzerland defends itself. Alexander Pfister from the Institute for Intellectual property, says that Switzerland would regret it, if the USA were to delete the provision that: "The protection of the Swiss coat of arms will be weakened in the United States, at least in the abstract." However, in the Concrete will move through the change in the law, little says Pfister. The U.S. criminal provision was in any case already been never called.

To safeguard their rights, the holders of the emblems, trademarks and patents, rely more on the civil way, and is also open in the United States continue.

This should soon be a law that article disappear, was once a PR-Coup of the first order. The Swiss made it, the protection of the Swiss cross, 1929, in the red cross Convention, to introduce. After the horrors of the First world war, the States parties committed themselves to improve the conditions for wounded soldiers in the field. For this purpose, the protection of the red cross symbols – and as a homage to Switzerland, the Swiss coat-of-arms belonged to. Criminal sanctions are not required by the Convention, however, the States can fulfill their commitment with a civil legal protection. How many States protect the white cross on a red background with the threat of jail or a fine of abuse, is not known. The US version is likely to be a special case. In Switzerland, in any case, no imprisonment, on the abuse of the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Created: 02.03.2020, 11:18 PM