An area in which a mark has no presence either through actual use, advertising or general reputation. As a general rule, a trademark owner has no rights in geographically remote areas, unless the mark is federally registered in which case the mark has nationwide priority, even if there is no presence in the mark for a given region. For unregistered marks, the doctrine of natural expansion provides another exception to the requirement that a trademark be used in a area in order for rights in it to exist.
