混淆误认与商标共存制度的适用

刘晓军*

   【摘要】“商标共存”通常是指容易引起相关公众混淆误认的商标的共存。对于可能引起相关公众混淆误认的若干商标来说，如果在先商标所有人同意在后商标的共存，一般不宜仅仅因为其共存可能引起相关公众混淆误认的后果就忽略在先商标所有人同意在后商标共存的意思表示。商标制度首先保护的是商标权人的利益而不是消费者的利益，或者说消费者利益保护只是保护商标权人利益的反射效应而已。目前我国商标理论中还不够重视商标共存制度，司法实践中虽然近年来商标共存制度的适用取得了较大进展，但仍然存在一些误区或限制，其中最大的问题就是认为只有消除了混淆误认才能适用商标共存制度。其实，消除混淆误认并不是也不可能是适用商标共存制度的前提或结果，恰恰相反，商标共存制度必须以承认相关公众的混淆误认为适用前提，同时适用商标共存制度也不必然具有消除相关公众混淆误认的后果。适用商标共存制度只是在保护商标权人利益和保护消费者利益之间优先选择了前者，这种选择只是出于对商标权私权属性的回归与尊重。

【关键词】商标共存；注册商标；混淆误认；商标使用

Confusion Theory and the Application of the Trademark Coexistence Regime

Liu Xiaojun

Abstract: Trademark coexistence generally means the coexistence of trademarks that are likely to cause confusion among the relevant public. For such trademarks that may cause confusion among the relevant public, if the owner of the preceding trademark consents to the coexistence of the subsequent trademark, such intention generally should not be ignored for the only reason that such coexistence may cause confusion among the relevant public. The priority of the trademark system is to protect the interests of trademark owners rather than those of consumers; in other words, protection of consumer interests is merely a reflective effect of protecting the interests of trademark owners. At present not enough emphasis has been placed on the study of trademark coexistence regime in China’s trademark community. Notwithstanding great progress having been made regarding application of trademark coexistence regime in judicial practice, there still exists certain misunderstandings or restraints, the biggest of which is the belief that the trademark coexistence regime can only be applied following the elimination of confusion. However, elimination of confusion is not, and cannot be, a precondition or consequence of application of the trademark coexistence regime; on the contrary, the trademark coexistence regime must acknowledge confusion of the relevant public as a precondition of its application, and such application may not necessarily have a consequence of eliminating confusion of the relevant public. Between protection of the interests of trademark owners and protection of those of consumers, application of the trademark coexistence regime chooses to give priority to the owners, which is out of paying respects to the nature of trademark rights being private rights.

Keywords: Trademark Coexistence, Trademark Registration, Confusion, Trademark Use

混淆误认与商标共存制度的适用.pdf