Trademarks and the Economic Dimensions of Trademark Law in Europe and Beyond

Abstract

Trademarks are signs that communicate the economic interest of goods manufacturers or service providers to customers with valuable information to influence their purchasing behavior. Signs which constitutes a trademark may include words, designs, colors, the shape of goods or the packaging of goods, sounds or numbers. A feature of a trademark is that they should be able to distinguish the goods and services they represent. This is one definition of a trademark as set out in transnational legislations such as the European Trade Mark Directive (EUTMD 2015/2436).This revised version contains a new introduction focusing on the graphical representation requirement introduced by trademark reforms in Europe and a post-script assessing the graphical representation requirement.