商标法律制度的经济学分析

Economic Analysis of Trademark Legal System

商标的经济学意义在于节约交易中的信息成本。同时,商标还带来了语言上的副产品,丰富了产品名称和表达方式。具有显著性的商标才能获得专用权,显著性的经济学意义在于商标节约了交易中的信息成本,节约的信息成本越多,显著性就越强。商标混淆将给商标权人带来负外部性,应当由能以最低成本避免混淆者承担避免混淆的义务。从效率角度出发,应禁止反向假冒和商标淡化行为,但是对反向混淆行为则应当依据其存续时间决定是否禁止。

Reducing information cost is the economic significance of a trademark. And meanwhile, trademark also brings a linguistic by-product which enriches product names and expressions. Distinctiveness makes a trademark have exclusive rights and the economic significance of distinctiveness is saving information cost. That is to say, saving information cost and distinctiveness have positive correlation. Since trademark confusion will bring negative effects to trademark holder, the obligation of avoiding trademark confusion should be taken by those who can avoid confusion at minimum cost. From the perspective of efficiency, reverse passing- off and trademark dilution should be prohibited, but whether to prohibit reverse confusion or not should be based on the duration of itself.