Last week, Amazonas state Governor Wilson Lima expressed his intention to question North American giant Amazon about potential royalties that should be paid for the use of his state’s name.
“Amazon uses the name Amazonas, the name Amazon. How much do we earn on this? We want to know. This is one of the questions we will ask at COP28.”
Wilson Lima, Governor of Amazonas State
However, legal professionals specializing in digital law say that Lima’s claim may not be legally valid. Legally, the name “Amazon” is a registered trademark of Amazon.com, Inc., in the United States and in many other countries, including Brazil. Registration gives the company the exclusive right to use the trademark to identify its products and services, which, according to experts, does not require the payment of royalties to the state of Amazonas.
The “Amazon” trademark was registered by the North American company in several countries, including Brazil. This means that the company has the exclusive right to use the “Amazon” trademark in Brazil to identify its products and services.
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However, this interpretation is not unanimous, especially within the scope of public law. There are no specific rules governing the use of geographical names, states or cities by private companies. Jurists in this field confirm that it is common to see local establishments using the names of streets, neighborhoods, cities, or tourist attractions without the need to pay royalties.
In light of this debate, Governor Wilson Lima’s claim raises an interesting question, but expert opinions indicate that, from a legal standpoint, Amazon.com, Inc. Backed by the registration of the “Amazon” trademark, it will therefore not be necessary to pay royalties to the state of Amazonas.
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