Federal registration is necessary to list a trademark with CBP – that’s key to stop counterfeiting
Davidson Heath and Christopher Mace, 2020 – professors of business at the University of Utah. “The Strategic Effects of Trademark Protection” The Review of Financial Studies 33 (2020) 1848–1877, Oxford University Press, accessed via University of Michigan //DH
The main statute of modern trademark law, the Lanham Act of 1946, defines infringement as "use of an identical or similar mark that would cause confusion as to the source of goods or services." The symbol ™ signifies an unregistered trademark, which is protected from infringement by state-level common law within the geographic area in which the mark is used. The symbol ® signifies that a trademark is officially registered with the USPTO. Registration extends protection against infringement to the national level, provides prima facie evidence of ownership, the power to file actions in Federal court to obtain injunctions and recover damages, and the mark is listed with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service, which interdicts the import of counterfeit goods.