Can a trademark be copyright protected?

Abstract

Trademarks may be subject to copyright protection as long they fulfil the requirements of copyright law. Consequently, a practical question arises whether a trademark, being a single word or a simple sequence of words, may be protected under copyright law. Such protection entails serious consequences because copyright granted to a creator of a work may later become an obstacle when it comes to the registration of a trademark. It may also constitute grounds for invalidating a trademark already registered. The author examines views of the doctrine and judicial decisions of common courts in the above matters.