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Continuing Commercial Impression: Applications And Measurement , Gideon Mark, Jacob Jacoby

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

This Article examines applications and measurement of continuing commercial impression, which is the meaning or idea a trademark or trade dress conveys to consumers. The doctrine is relevant in a variety of contexts, including abandonment, tacking, claim preclusion, and the Morehouse defense. A number of courts considering the issue have concluded that continuing commercial impression is a pure question of law. This article argues that such a view is incorrect, and that the doctrine should present a mixed question of law and fact. In determining whether continuing commercial impression exists, the sole factor should not be the visual or aural …