Confusion Mélange: A Call to Revise the Law on Trademark Infringement, Initial Interest Confusion, and Digital Marketing

Abstract

Introduction I. Background A. Internet Marketing, AdWords, and Cookies B. Trademarks, the Lanham Act, and the Internet 1. Congressional Intent Behind the Protection of Trademarks 2. The Lanham Act 3. Secondary Splits on Initial Interest Confusion II. The Issues A. The Inefficiencies of the Multifactor Tests for Likelihood of Confusion B. Circuit Court Splits on Initial Interest Confusion C. Increasing Breadth, Intricacy, and Cost of Trademark Litigation III. Proposed Solutions A. Standardize Initial Interest Confusion 1. Bar Initial Interest Confusion if the Parties’ Products are Unrelated 2. Allow Initial Interest Confusion Regardless of Brevity of Confusion or Disclaimer Usage 3. Bar Initial Interest Confusion if Consumers are Sophisticated or Careful 4. Do Not Assume Consumers on the Internet to be Sophisticated or Careful 5. Do Not Assume Consumers of Expensive Products to be Sophisticated or Careful B. Abridge the Multifactor Likelihood of Confusion Tests in Digital Marketing Cases C. Replace the Multifactor Likelihood of Confusion Tests for Digital Marketing Cases Conclusion