As previously mentioned, a trademark is a recognizable sign, design or expression which identifies products or services of a particular source from those of others. Whereas in our everyday life we come across thousand examples of companies with similar names. For example, the brand“ Dove” is used both as
· Dove( chocolate), a Mars brand of chocolate named after the ice cream
· Dove( toiletries), an unrelated Unilever brand of soap and other personal care products
Although Unilever Dove and Mars Dove are not a direct industry competitor, in the mind of consumers the soap is recalled first and creates unfavorable associations with Dove Chocolate. There exists a struggle among consumers to differentiate Mars Dove from Unilever Dove. Sometimes consumers assume the two brands are related. This is untrue and often disables Mars Dove to resonate over Unilever, especially because the promotional campaigns of the two brands boast creamy and silky textures, and display a script logo with the image of a dove.
35