The Possibility of Joint Ownership of the Exclusive Right to a Trademark

The observed increase in the number of trademark applications indicates that there is a high demand for the intellectual property object in question among applicants, most of whom are business entities. The variety of business forms requires appropriate legal regulation in terms of relations related to the emergence and use of the exclusive right to a trademark, taking into account the current market situation. The problem of joint ownership of the exclusive right to a trademark is related to the impossibility of two or more persons having an exclusive right to the means of individualization in question due to the positions of administrative and judicial authorities, while such a prohibition is not explicitly provided for in civil legislation. The model of joint ownership of the exclusive right to a trademark may be relevant for entrepreneurs engaged in joint economic activities. The object of the study is the legal relations related to the emergence of the exclusive right to a trademark from two or more persons. The subject of the study is the analysis of Russian civil legislation regarding trademarks, as well as law enforcement practice on this issue. The methodological basis of the research consists of general scientific research methods (analysis, synthesis, comparison) and special methods of legal cognition (formal legal, formal logical). The study found that law enforcement practice recognizes the collective mark model as the only form of joint ownership of the exclusive right to a trademark, but this model cannot be recognized as a full-fledged form of joint ownership of the exclusive right to a trademark due to significant restrictions on the disposal of the exclusive right to this object, as well as the presence of a collective mark in fact one the copyright holder in the form of an association of persons in the form of an association or union, this does not correspond to the classical model of joint ownership of the exclusive right. As a conclusion, it is proposed that article 1484 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation explicitly states the possibility of joint ownership of the exclusive right to a trademark, according to which the exclusive right to a trademark may belong to two or more persons.

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