商标性使用作为商标侵权前提的反思

Rethinking Trademark Use as the Precondition of Trademark Infringement

《商标法》第48条规定商标的使用必须是"识别商品来源"意义上的使用(即"商标性使用"),但构成商标侵权是否也必须首先满足这一条件仍然存有争议。在商标维持和商标侵权两种不同的语境下,商标法对商标的使用有着不同的要求。在商标侵权语境下,仅具有识别商品来源的可能性即可构成商标使用,并不要求达到实际上的识别商品来源的效果,因此"商标性使用"不是构成商标侵权的前提条件。司法实践中,不构成商标性使用正在演变成为排除侵权的万能理由,对商标性使用进行"贴标签"式的做法将不利于商标法的透明化发展。商标侵权的判断应该回到消费者混淆可能性、正当使用等既有的判定规则上来,以免商标性使用这一概念架空既有的商标法理论框架。

China’s Trademark Law Article 48 provides that a mark should be used for indicating the source of goods,and this Article is deemed as the trademark use clause in Chinese trademark law.However,it is still disputed that whether Article 48 can be the precondition for constituting trademark infringement.The requirement for trademark use depends on different context.In the infringement context,trademark use only requires a possibility of identifying the source of goods,and the realistic capability of indicating the source is not necessary.Thus,trademark use is not a precondition of trademark infringement.But in judicial practice,the trademark use defense has been becoming a panacea for immunizing trademark infringement,and such practice will not be good for the transparent development of trademark policy.To prevent the established doctrines from becoming superfluous,any analysis on trademark infringement should return to the well-established doctrines,such as the likelihood of consumer confusion and the fair use doctrine.