Rivista del Diritto Commerciale e del diritto generale delle Obbligazioni

Abstract: Joint ownership of the trademark between market information and competition on the merits – The traditional approach, which is still the prevailing view, adopted by legal scholars dealing with joint ownership of trademarks has focused primarily on the model of trademark exploitation and, in particular, on cases of direct (or productive) use of the trademark by the joint owners: a situation that raises sensitive issues in relation to respect for the distinctive function of the trademark and the fundamental principles of trademark law; problems not dissimilar to those posed by non-exclusive licences (and, where deemed admissible, also by partial transfers, if they concern similar products or services). However, a review of case law shows that the most recurrent problems concern the preliminary aspect of deciding on the model of exploitation to be adopted: that is, cases where the co-owners disagree on how to exploit the trademark and the question arises as to what the applicable decision-making quorum should be. This raises issues of coordination between the exclusive rights of the co-owners, which have been overlooked in theoretical discussions despite being not only sensitive and complex issues but also specific to cases of co-ownership. This essay puts forward some proposed solutions to these problems, developed in light of the evolution of the distinctive function of the trademark and the recognition of its advertising function, within the framework of systematic coordination with the regulation of joint ownership of exclusive rights in other areas of intellectual property law.  

Summary: 1. Introduzione. – 2. Contitolarità del marchio e tutela del consumatore: il problema della ammissibilità della fattispecie. – 3. Contitolarità del marchio e tutela degli interessi del (con)titolare: il problema della decisione del modello di sfruttamento del marchio e i limiti dell’approccio tradizionale; rilevanza della tutela della funzione pubblicitaria del marchio. – 4. Il couso del marchio: inapplicabilità dell’art. 1102 cod. civ.; competenza del gruppo a deliberare il couso, tanto produttivo quanto negoziale. – 5. Il quorum deliberativo richiesto per determinare il modello di sfruttamento economico del marchio: necessità del consenso unanime dei contitolari, quale che sia il modello di sfruttamento prescelto.  

Keywords: Trademarks — Joint ownership — Trademark exploitation — Decision making rules.