Secondary trademark infringement secondary trademark infringement also known as indirect or contributory infringement is the liability a party assumes when it doesnt actually take part in trademark infringing activities but contributes to infringement by other parties entities that are accused of secondary infringement may be held liable for their actions. But federal officials have indicated a new interest in enforcing contributory trademark infringement targeting online e commerce platforms the us patent and trademark office recently published a. The us patent and trademark office recently published a public notice in the federal register titled secondary trademark infringement liability in the e commerce setting the notice seeks information from intellectual property rights holders online third party marketplaces and other third party online intermediaries and other private sector stakeholders on the application of the traditional doctrines of trademark infringement to the e commerce setting more specifically the . Secondary trademark infringement the website this website is dedicated to an examination of the law of secondary liability for trademark infringement the idea that someone other than a direct infringer can be liable for infringing anothers trademark secondary liability for trademark infringement is a relatively recent development in the law and it has evolved entirely in the