Research Handbook on the History of Trademark Law

Presenting a variety of historiographical approaches, this Research Handbook explores the historical development of trademarks and the associated commercial practices of branding. It has an international scope, covering trademark history in Australia, Israel, pre-modern Europe, Sweden, the UK and the US.

Bringing together a carefully selected group of experts, this Research Handbook assesses a broad range of topics including registration systems, branding, distinctiveness, use and ownership, the role of colour, secondary liability and marks as property. It explores the nature and function of trademarks as well as the development of legislation and administrative frameworks regulating marks in the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition, it features important case studies on Guinness, Jaeger, Jaffa, and Swedish Match, and offers new insights into the history of the UK Trade Mark Registration Act and the US Lanham Act.

Enriching understandings of the history of trademark law, this Research Handbook is an indispensable read for intellectual property scholars, legal historians and law students. Legal practitioners working in the intellectual property field will also find it to be a useful resource.