Factors of trademark confusion: sociological analysis

The aim of the present study is to provide a detailed list of factors influencing the probability of confusing similarity of trademarks. The identification of a set of such factors is a practically significant task of applied sociology of management, as it allows to make a comprehensive assessment of the views of the parties in disputes about the similarity of means of individualization based on the data of sociological expertise. Apart from that, the development of understanding of the phenomenon of confusing similarity is a topical theoretical problem in consumer behavior research. The author supports the factors analysis with a hypothetical description of the mechanism by means of which each factor contributes to the resulting probability of confusing similarity of trademarks in consumer’s mind. The system of factors proposed by the author is a useful tool for selecting a coordinate system where a sociologist can model consumer behavior.