Comparative legal analysis of protectability of olfactory trademarks

In the current growing global commercial turnover of goods and services, there are increasing demands on the ways of their individualization. This applies both to traditional methods of individualization (corporate name, trademark, commercial designation, name of origin, etc.) and non-traditional (olfactory trademarks). The purpose of this study is to study and analyze doctrinal concepts, norms of the current legislation, and law enforcement practice concerning the protection of rights of olfactory trademarks. In order to achieve this objective, the study used a comparative legal method, which analyzed the legal and regulatory framework, as well as the grounds for refusing to register non-traditional trademarks in various legal systems and national jurisdictions. The task of the authors was to conduct a comprehensive study of legislative regulation and practice of legal protection of olfactory trademarks in various jurisdictions. The result of the research is the formulation of a general trend in different jurisdictions toward the legislation on registration of exclusive rights to non-traditional trademarks, which with the help of aromas (smells) allow individualizing the owners of goods produced by them and/or commercial services provided.