Minnesota Session Laws - 1994, Regular Session

                            CHAPTER 477-S.F.No. 2579 
                  An act relating to commerce; restraint of trade; 
                  providing a civil remedy for injury to business 
                  reputation or dilution of quality of a mark; providing 
                  grounds for injunctive relief; proposing coding for 
                  new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 325D. 
        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
           Section 1.  [325D.165] [INJURY TO BUSINESS REPUTATION.] 
           Likelihood of injury to business reputation or of dilution 
        of the distinctive quality of a mark or trade name shall be 
        grounds for injunctive relief, regardless of the presence or the 
        absence of competition between the parties or likelihood of 
        confusion, mistake, or deception. 
           For the purposes of this section, the following terms have 
        the meanings given them: 
           (1) "dilution" means the lessening of the capacity of an 
        owner's mark to identify and distinguish goods or services; and 
           (2) "distinctive quality" means the mark is inherently 
        distinctive or has acquired distinctiveness, and the mark is 
        well known or famous. 
           Presented to the governor April 18, 1994 
           Signed by the governor April 20, 1994, 1:55 p.m.