Ethical and legal boundaries of trademark protection with religious symbols (semantics): problems of protecting the feelings of believers

the article examines the legislative and law enforcement aspects of the use of religious symbols and semantics in the context of trademarks. The main idea of the work is the need to protect the religious feelings of citizens from the commercial use of religious designations, the inadmissibility of insulting the feelings of believers, which should be ensured at the legislative and law enforcement level. The author systematically reveals the problem associated with the use of religious symbols and semantics in trademarks, examines legislative provisions, judicial precedents related to the registration and use of such trademarks, seeking to identify legal gaps and suggest ways to eliminate them. It is emphasized that granting business entities exclusive rights to use religious words and symbols in trademarks may harm public interests. The article discusses various legislative mechanisms aimed at preventing offending the feelings of believers. Particular attention is paid to regulatory changes aimed at defining the procedure for the examination of trademarks with religious symbols and semantics. The author analyzes some court disputes, pointing out their diversity and ambiguity of decisions. Case examples demonstrate how subjective assessments can influence law enforcement. In conclusion, specific proposals are made to resolve the problems identified in the course of the study.

trademarks, feelings of believers, unfair competition, consumer deception, esotervoshing, spiritwashing