antidissection rule
antidissection rule. Trademarks. A rule, applied in comparing potentially conflicting marks, that requires that the marks be compared as a whole or as they are viewed by consumers in the marketplace, not broken down into their component parts. • The antidissection rule does not preclude an analysis of the dominant and subordinate features of a mark to determine which features make the most significant impression on consumers, but the mark must still be considered in its entirety. See TOUT ENSEMBLE. [Cases: Trade Regulation 346.]