2010 Hu 1763 Judgment [Trademark refusal]
[Legal]
A composite word mark may be compared as a whole or by a component that independently identifies source and can naturally be used separately in trade.
Category | Earlier registered Trademark 1 | The Earlier registered Trademark 2 | Applied-for mark |
Mark |  |  |  |
Designated Goods | Incandescent light bulbs, soap and other goods | Non-precious metal bowls, lamps and lighting equipment retail sales, etc. | |
[Judgment]
WILLIAMS-SONOMA consists of two words separated by a hyphen and does not form a new inseparable concept. Its length and the distinctiveness of WILLIAMS in Korea allowed identification by WILLIAMS alone. That element matched the earlier WILLIAMS marks, creating a risk of confusion on identical or similar goods and services.
[Decisions]
The court upheld the finding that the applied-for mark was similar to earlier marks 1 and 2.
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