实际混淆因素在商标混淆侵权判定中的作用及适用

The Role and Application of Actual Confusion Factors in Trademark Infringement Determination

在商标侵权诉讼中,商标权人需要证明消费者存在混淆可能性,但并不需要证明消费者发生了实际混淆。商标法舍弃实际混淆,而将混淆可能性作为商标侵权的判定依据,根本原因在于实际混淆的证据较难取得。实际混淆尽管没有成为商标混淆侵权的判定标准,但其依然在混淆侵权判定中发挥着重要的作用。但其重要性不能被夸大,法院在混淆侵权判定中不应仅仅依据原告提出了实际混淆证据就判定被告侵权成立,因为实际上存在不具合理谨慎注意力的消费者误买误购情形。法院在运用实际混淆证据时,要结合具体案情,分析实际混淆证据的种类、实际混淆所涉及的主体以及实际混淆证据的数量,考察实际混淆证据能否证明消费者存在混淆可能性。

In trademark infringement litigation, trademark holder needs to prove the existence of likelihood of confusion, but does not need to prove that consumers actually are confused. Trademark law ignores the actu- al situation, using the likelihood of confusion as the basis of trademark infringement judgment, mainly due to the reason that the evidence is difficult to be obtained. Though the actual situation is not the legal ground, it still plays an important role in confusion infringement judgment. Though, in confusion infringement, the court cannot decide that the defendant＇ s committing infringement just according to the plaintiff＇ s evidence. When the court uses the evidence of actual situation, the following factors shall be taken into consideration, namely, the specific details of a case, analysis of the categories of evidence, the main body involved in, the number of evidence, and the possibility of whether the actual confusion evidence can prove the existence of consumer con- fusion.