Introduction 2 IP
Intellectual Prop.
- Industrial Prop. & Intellectual
- Creative minds & subst. matter merged 2 protect invention,
writing, & symbol
- Policies & Tensions Underlying All IP's
- Priv. prop. rts v. allowing max access
- Free competition v. protecting invention
- Econ. int. v. prop. int.
- Not wanting 2 reinvent by copying v. incentive 2 create by
protecting IP
- Int'l Consid's
- Imp. Treaties
- Berne 4 copyrt
- Paris 4 patent & trademark
- GATT w/TRIPs agmt
- Two Concepts
- Reciprocity is treating other nationals as well as they treat
ours
- Nat'l treatment is treating other nationals @ least as well
as we treat ours
- Prob's
- Enforcement
- Not uniform
- Dif. policies in dev'ing v. dev'ed world
- Topics Cov'ed
- Trademark (T)
- Unfair Competition
- Trade Secret (TS)
- Patent (P)
- Idea Protection
- Copyrt (C)
Trademark (T)
Intro
- Goals
- Protect pub. from confusion
- Protect owner, good will, control prod. reputation
- Smaller part of unfair competition by looking 2 symbol 2 see
if used 2 create confusion
- Fn
- Indicate Source
- Guarantee Consistent Quality
- Advertise
Types of Mark
- Trademark
- Word, name, symbol, device / combo
- ID prod.
- Indicate source
- Servicemark
- Word, name, symbol, device / combo
- ID serv.
- Indicate source even if unknown
- Promotional activity / form of ad not serv. (In re Dr. Pepper
Co.)
Use Reqt
- 1st 2 Use, 1st T
- Not 1st file sys.
- Must use mark in interstate commerce but affecting ICC is
suff.
- Bona Fide Use
- Can B modest as long as real & commercial (Blue Bell v.
Farah)
- Priority Use Sys. C/L
- Might not always get priority by equity, tight X frame, &
both parties poaching on already existing T (Manhatten Ind.)
- Dif. marks
- If T descr. mark then need 2 acquire 2ndary meaning / disctiveness
by use, not priority
- If inherently distinctive like fanciful, arb., then priority
2 1st use
- Dif. uses
- Ownership use need bona fide use & subst'l use in cnxn
w/prod. in comm'l mkt 4 ownership & priority
- Token use in commerce 2 support reg. but prob's in protection
Fed. Lanham Act Amended 4 Reg.
- Section 1)a: Applic. by Use
- Apply 2 qualif. 4 reg.
- Bona fide use in commerce so ord. use in trade, not 4 reserving
- Priority on 1st use date
- Section 1)b: Applic. by Intent 2 Use
- Gets rid of token use
- Bona fide intention
- Good faith by use in commerce
- Same rev. but gets notice of allowance, not reg. after 30
days
- Limited 2 1st 6 mo's & can extend 3 yrs 4 good cause
- No jud. remedy 4 infring. on notice until applic. files decl.
saying actual use started
- Priority date is filing date b/c constructive use by §7)c
- Suppl Register by §23 L Act
- US reg. 4 for. reg. so ez'er 2 get & reg. not dep. on
use
- Need use in commerce
- can't reg. if unreg'able under a-d
- For. Reg. 4 Use §44 L Act
- Paris, GATT & nat'l treatment apply but also give another
option
- By §d, can get US T w/o using in US by filing date in
for. country where for. country is priority date
- US applic. must B w/in 6 mo. after filied in for. country
- Conform nearly as pract'able as L act, incl'ing bona fide
intent
- Used in rsbl X / subj. 2 cancel 4 abandonment where nonuse
is prima facie evid.
Qualif. 2 Reg. Mark
- Anything Disting'ing, ID'ing Good / Serv.
- Scent (In re Clarke, sewing thread)
- Sound (NBC)
- Ornamental design if indicate origin, not mere decoration
- Color
- Only when acquired 2nd meaning 2 ID & indicate source
- Rejected color depletion arg. & shades arg. by Sup Ct
- Distinctiveness of Mark
- Req'ed
- Distinctive by itself / ass'n
- Pt 2 origin
- 2ndary Meaning
- Only by using mark so long, primary rel. in buyer's mind
- Evid. can B consumer survey, circ'al evid., & consumer
as W
- Hierarchy 4 Distinctiveness: From No Protection 2 Lots of
Protection
- Generic
- Incapable of disting'ing goods, even if misspell
- Generic in subst'l pub. mind (Murphy Bed)
- Can B cancelled any X after reg. if become generic
- D has b/p 2 show generic
- Mark not generic b/c id's unique prod. & serv. (§14)3)
- Purchaser perception is test, not consumer motivation
- Descriptive
- Descr's prod., feature, charact, of prod.
- Protect only if 2nd meaning (§2e) & f)
- Others can use word before 2nd meaning & 4 purely descr.
- Narrow range of protection
- Can't apply intent 2 use b/c need 2nd meaning by use
- Surnames
- Need 2nd meaning 4 primarily merely surname
- Protection low so later person may use so long as no confusion
- Geog Marks
- Can't reg. if primarily geog. descr. & merely descr. w/o
2nd meaning §2)e)2
- Can't use prim'ly geog'ly deceptively misdescr. mark §2)e)3
even w/2nd meaning after 12/8/93
- Deceptive (§2)a) v. Deceptively Misdescr. (§2)e)1)
(Budge)
- False so misdescr. qual, fn. composition, / use of good +
- Believably false so buyers believed (deceptively misdescr.
so can reg. after 2nd meaning) +
- Material so affect dec. 2 buy (deceptive so no reg. @ all)
- Geog Indication of Wine (§2)a)
- Can cont. 2 use if used before 1/1/96 but no new ones
- No Immoral / Scandalous §2)a
- Itself scandalous, not attached 2 part. good
- Sugg
- Req's buyer 2 use imagination 2 make link btwn mark &
good
- Protectible imm'ly w/o 2nd meaning
- Arb. / fanciful
- Not descr. any feature / compl'ly made upt
- Strongest protection
- Fn'ality Doc.
- Unprotected Even w/2nd Meaning 2 Address Monopoly
- Fn'al things
- Gen'ly 4 shape, config., color, etc.
- Perfume / cologne fn'al
- Color fn'al s.t.'s(black boat motor, green farm machine, etc)
- Utilitarian Fn'lity
- Design utility is superior design essential 4 effective competition
- Only few alt. design available b/c econ. in mfgr / use
- Aesthetic Fn'lity
- Not focus on consumer appeal & salability but on competition
(Wallace) by looking @ if other design available, nec. 4 competition,
& excl. competition from mkt
- Prior Use of Mark: §2)d
- Can't Reg. Mark Resembling Reg'ed Mark / Trade
- When likely 2 cause confusion, mistake, / deceive
- Agmt may dispel confusion (Applic. of EI Du Pont)
Rts in Mark
- Infringement
- Stand.
- Likelihood of Confusion, Mistake, / Deceive (§32)
- For
- Goods
- Source / origin
- Sponsorship / auth.
- At Pt. of Buying / Consumer Confusion
- Appreciable # but not maj.
- Few protect if potential consumer confused (Ferrari)
- Factors 4 Noncompeting Goods (Sleekcraft Boats, Polaroid)
- Strength of mark
- Continuum of descr. 2 arb.
- More 2nd meaning can strengthen mark
- Proximity of goods / similarity of goods
- Similarity of marks
- Sight, sound, & meaning w/emphasis on sight & sound
- Willing 2 look beyond mark 2 surr'ing area
- Actual confusion evid. counts if exist
- Mkting channels
- Type of goods & purchaser care
- Intent counts if bad
- Likelihood of expansion
- Defense & Ok Use
- Can use others' T in ad if not likely 2 confuse (Channel)
- Fair use defense 4 descr. & surname §33)b)4 ok's
- Use otherwise as T / purpose of descr'ing own good
- Fair & in good faith
- Parody
- Parody Modifies & Relaxes T Infring. Test
- Protect free speech v. pub. int. of avoiding consumer confusion
- Gen'ly not find likely confusion even if not aff. defense
- Only 4 Parody of Artistic Expression
- What's being parodied should B artistic exp. w/intellectual
content (Cliff Notes, Omaha v. Novak)
- Survey Evid. in T
- Used 4
- Likelihood of pub. confusion
- 2ndary meaning
- Used When Econ'ly Ok
- Reqts 4 Proper Survey
- Done by somebody else
- Geog'ly / comm'ly universe 4 class of persons whose S/M @
issue
- Pick propr rep. of universe as sample by expert testimony
- Rt survey methods of indep. interviews, etc.
- Geog. Rts & Boundaries
- C /L Protection
- Sr user only rts w/in area where actually used mark + zone
of expansion
- Jr. user can cont. 2 use own geog. mark if in good faith (notice)
- Remote good faith user can stop sr. user from using mark in
jr's area + from entering mkt
- But equity det's esp'ly if sr. user becomes nationwide
- L Act
- No distinction on sr. v. jr. user but only who reg's 1st
- Sect. 2 gives nationwide priority 4 whoever reg's / files
applic's 1st - defense of good faith so no remote good faith user
(Dawn Donuts)
- Elements 4 defense of cont. use §33)b)5 when A uses before
B reg's
- Cont. use of mark
- Must B actual use & ad. isn't use
- Priority of reg. date if before 11/16/89 or applic. date on
/ after 11/16/89
- If use w/o actual / constructive knowledge (good faith)
- If can meet defense, then can stop B from entering A's area
& A frozen in area by applic. / reg.
- Assignment & Abandonment
- Assign (Money Store)
- Must incl. transfer of goodwill
- No in gross T transfer
- Focus on if assignee used mark in similar good / serv.
- Sham trxn
- No abandoned mark
- Abandonment: §45
- Use discton'ed w/intent not 2 resume (§45)1)
- Non use of 3 consec. yrs is prima facie evid. (§45)1)
- Any conduct & omission cuases mark 2 lose sig. (§45)2)
- If naked license, abandon but adeq'ly controlled license not
abandon
- Proced. & Incontestibility
- Applic. Proced.
- Ex parte proceeding screens obvious marks on §2)e / 2)d
- If not ok can make correction / fight
- If ok, publ. in official gazette so anybody can file opposition
w/in 30 days on grounds of §2 L Act
- Then issue reg. 4 use & notice of allowance 4 intent applic's
- Sec 14 allows opposer 2 file cancellation on any ground that
would've barred reg.'ion initially but higher b/p
- Can go 2 dist. ct. / 2 fed. circ. 4 jud. rev.
- Incontestibility Limits Cancellation
- After 5 yrs, §15 says T incontestible except 4 generic
grounds & §2)a-c
- Incontestibility is concl. evid. of T ownership & excl.
rt (§33)b)
- Can B used defensively b/c can't cancel / enjoin mark
- Can also offensively use (Park N Fly)
- Circuit split on using incontestibility as evid. of strength
of mark 4 likelihood of confusion test
- Remedies
- Obtain Jgmt §34
- L Act §36
- Phys. destruction of infringing material / order 2 surrender
all
- L Act §35
- Damage
- If show D cost lost sales
- Injunction given if satisfy equity b/c good faith
- Can assess up 2 3X's damages
- D's Profit
- Need wrongful intent (but not in Fleishman) & hardest
2 get
- Gross sales - deductions = profit
- P shows D's gross sales & D shows deductions by cost /
proof
- Atty fee 4 prevailing party in exceptional cases
This material is copyrighted by the author. Use of this material
for profit is strictly prohibited without written consent
from the author.
12/2/1996
Ms. Haeji Hong
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