The effects of brand name similarity on brand source confusion: Implications for trademark infringement

The prevalent legal view with regard to trademark infringement is that consumers who exercise a low (high) degree of care when evaluating goods will be less (more) likely to notice differences among brands and thus conclude they are of (dis)similar origin. The authors argue on the basis of the involvement literature and demonstrate through two field experiments that the effect of degree of care on likelihood of brand source confusion varies by the type of similarity (similar sound versus similar meaning) among brand names. The authors discuss implications for trademark infringement litigation and company brand name evaluation in light of these findings.