Can a color be a trademark?

The publication updates the issue of intellectual property of colors and highlights the main changes regarding non-traditional trademarks that have taken place in the world in recent years. The article examines the American, European, and Ukrainian practice of registering colors as non- traditional signs and analyzes the conditions of intellectual property protection in the era of the post-industrial digital society. It is noted that today many companies consider one or more colors to be characteristic features of their brands and seek to protect them from appropriation. And it is not surprising. Marketing methods evolve and keep up with the times. All professional marketers know the influence colors have on people and actively use them 1, p. 4. They are increasingly playing with clip thinking and the cognitive functions of the human brain. Color is the first thing that the consumer pays attention to. His initial judgments are based on this characteristic. Only then does he see the form and content of the product. Even after a detailed study of the product, the consumer will be actively influenced by the color, because for many, the color of the package is an indicator of quality. In the 21st century, every company tries to create such associations with its brand that are better remembered and emphasize its uniqueness and excellence in the conditions of the information society. The practice of «appropriating» colors is closely related to the struggle of brands for recognition among their target audience and attracting new ones. Obtaining protection for such a specific trademark under trademark law is not easy. De jure, a trademark in the form of a single color or a combination of colors is possible. However, there is still little guidance on the requirements for valid color stamps. That is why there are special difficulties in sufficiently accurate display of such signs. The work includes an overview of the main provisions of international legal acts: the Paris Convention on the Protection of Industrial Property Rights, Regulation (EU) No. 2017/1001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017, on the European Union trademark, the Langham Act (the US Trademark Act ), etc. Several international precedents are also examined: from Owens Corning defending its shade of pink in 1985 to Nestle's battle against Cadbury over a variant of purple. The article notes what criteria must be met by non-traditional trademarks and how Western countries fight the monopolization of colors.