A legal and economic analysis of the conflict of property rights on generic names: Based on the “Little Sheep” trademark dispute

• Main Authors: ZHANG, Wei, YANG, Ming
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2010
• Subjects: Dispute Resolution and Arbitration; Law and Economics
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/2318; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/4270/viewcontent/genericnames_littlesheep.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

自我国2001年修订《商标法》接受了"第二含义理论"——即承认"共用名称"通过使用可以产生显著性,从而得以注册为商标(第11条第2款)——以来,相关司法实践中的争议一直不断,尤其是引起广泛争议的"小肥羊"商标案的发生,使得人们开始担忧,允许"共用名称"注册为商标而给经营者带来的激励,不免引发过度投资,从而导致无效率的竞争和不公平的结果。但是,从"共用名称"之本质的经济分析出发,我们可以发现,允许该标识注册为商标实际上是避免出现"公地灾难"的有效率的做法。另外,商标法上相关制度的设置,也不会产生学者们所担心的不公平的结果。