Final answer:
Trade dress refers to the visual appearance of a product or its packaging that signifies the product's source to consumers, which includes elements such as color, and is protected by intellectual property law. When a color becomes strongly associated with a brand, like the Bank of Montreal's specific blue, that association falls under trade dress.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon where a specific wavelength of blue is so well recognized that it alone makes consumers associate the color with the Bank of Montreal is known as trade dress. Trade dress is a part of intellectual property law that protects the visual appearance of a product or its packaging which signifies the source of the product to consumers. This can include features such as size, shape, color, texture, graphics, and even certain sales techniques.
Trademarks are another relevant aspect of intellectual property that protect symbols, words, or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company or product. When a brand becomes so associated with a color or set of colors that the color acts as a de facto trademark, this is an example of trade dress.