In the evaluation of the correct defense of a brand, today the diffusion on the internet and on social networks can play an unsuspected role.

For example, Apple filed Opposition against a trademark consisting of a stylized pear with a leaf on the stalk, for products not similar to its own, of course based on its own Apple device. The Apple mktg, however, must have drawn  the Legal Department’s attention to the fact that the aggressive approach could have sparked protests on social media (and so it did), that risk tarnishing the positive image of the brand: therefore, the American company decided to request a small change to the leaf of the opposite brand:

Although it cannot be said that the remaining half leaf has changed the visual impact and therefore the (alleged) risk of confusion or association between signs, initially disputed.