Similarity of Marks

The test for similarity of marks has changed very little since it was laid down by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in SABEL v Puma. Given that the court has adopted a strict approach to when marks will be identical, similarity of marks plays a crucial role in ensuring that the interests of trade mark owners are adequately protected. There the court stated that a ‘global appreciation of the visual, aural or conceptual similarity of the marks in question, must be based on the overall impression given by the marks, bearing in mind, in particular, their distinctive and dominant components’ with a view to determining whether the signs in question are similar enough to lead to a likelihood of confusion in the minds of the average consumer of the goods or services in question. It has subsequently been suggested that, where marks have other sensory aspects, as would be the case with, for example, an olfactory mark, these too should be considered. The court also noted that average consumers tend to view marks as a whole, rather than dividing them into their constituent elements.