Law Commons^™

Trademark Goodwill As A Public Good: Brands And Innovations In Corporate Social Responsibility, Margaret Chon

Faculty Articles

Powerful brands dominate our transnational landscapes. Brand value-referred to in law as trademark goodwill-is co-created by trademark owners and the consumers of their products and services. Commonly defined as all possible sources of consumer patronage, trademark goodwill is critically important not only for business ability to attract and retain customers, but also for its regulatory capacity to signal process characteristics such as environmental impact or labor standards. This Article focuses on the role of trademark goodwill in signaling sustainability standards as key informational components of corporate social responsibility. In this view of trademark goodwill, brands potentially provide highly public platforms …