Law Commons^™

Territorial Trademark Rights And The Antitrust Laws, Richard F. Dole

Michigan Legal Studies Series

Trademarks are devises used by business men to distinguish their goods from those of others. The utility of trademarks to purchasers lies in the identification of different lines of merchandise by different trademarks. On the other hand, perhaps the greatest advantage of trademarks to business derives from the connotations associated with marks by skillful advertising. Legal protection of trademark rights thus has a dual aspect: preventing others from copying marks both guards the identification function of trademarks and maintains exclusive rights in the commercial value of trademarks created by advertising. A Senate committee described the hybrid nature of trademark protection …