Alfred Dunhill of London, Inc. v. Dunhill Tailored Clothes, Inc.

293 F.2d 685, 49 C.C.P.A. 730
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedAugust 16, 1961
DocketPatent Appeal 6697
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 293 F.2d 685 (Alfred Dunhill of London, Inc. v. Dunhill Tailored Clothes, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alfred Dunhill of London, Inc. v. Dunhill Tailored Clothes, Inc., 293 F.2d 685, 49 C.C.P.A. 730 (ccpa 1961).

Opinions

RICH, Judge.

Alfred Dunhill of London, Inc., op-poser, here appeals from the decision of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, 124 USPQ 343, dismissing its opposition to registration of DUNHILL TAILORS on the Principal Register as a trademark for men’s suits and overcoats.

This opposition is unusual in that behind it lies an infringement suit brought by opposer against applicant, in which applicant counterclaimed for affirmative relief of various kinds. This suit, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, is Alfred Dunhill of London, Inc. v. Dunhill Tailored Clothes, Inc., 119 USPQ 325. It was decided September 22, 1958, by the entry of a final judgment from which no appeal was taken. It is hereinafter referred to as the “suit.”

On the basis of the decision in that suit, the applicant filed a motion to dismiss the notice of opposition on the ground that it failed to state a claim on

which relief could be granted or, in the alternative, for summary judgment in favor of applicant. Opposer thereafter filed a cross-motion for summary judgment sustaining the opposition and requested an oral hearing.

The board denied oral hearing, denied opposer’s motion for summary judgment, granted “Applicant’s motion” and dismissed the opposition. Opposer speculates that it was applicant’s motion for summary judgment, rather than to dismiss the opposition, that was granted but since the board did, m haec verba, dismiss the opposition, the distinction is of no importance. The parties agree that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact.

This case involves the single question of law whether, under the Lanham Act (Trademark Act of 1946, 15 U.S.C. § 1051 et seq., 15 U.S.C.A. § 1051 et seq.), applicant is entitled to registration on the basis of the rights of the parties hereto as settled in the suit.

Applicant, Dunhill Tailored Clothes, Inc., filed its application to register, Ser. No. 25,527, on March 5, 1957, claiming use since September 3, 1923. The application as filed asserted reliance on section 2(f) and alleged “substantially exclusive and continuous use in interstate commerce for the five years next preceding the date of filing of this application.” The mark sought to be registered in the application as filed was DUNHILL and the specimen was a woven clothing label bearing DUNHILL, beneath the “hill” portion of which in relatively smaller letters was the word “Tailors” and under it “New York.”

On April 18, 1957, opposer brought the suit referred to above against the applicant and on August 16, 1957, the examiner deferred action on the application pending outcome of the suit,1 in which [687]*687final judgment was rendered September 22, 1958. November 18, 1958, the examiner refused registration because in the suit the applicant had been enjoined. Applicant responded on January 23,1959, amending the drawing “by adding the word ‘TAILORS’ after the name DUNHILL,” pointing out that the injunction provided that it might use the mark DUNHILL TAILORS on certain named products for men including “clothing,” and submitting new specimens of that mark. The application was passed for publication June 29, published July 21 (744 O.G. TM 109), and this opposition was filed August 18,1959. Then followed the motions and the decision of the board dismissing the opposition on February 17, 1960.

No facts have been developed in the opposition except as they appear from the pleadings, applicant’s motion in effect admitting the allegations of the notice of opposition. But in addition thereto we have before us the published opinion of the District Court for the Southern District of New York (following an unpublished oral opinion on June 11, 1958) which consists of Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law (119 USPQ 325). Both parties argue this case on the basis of acceptance of those findings and conclusions and the final judgment in the suit, which judgment is the fact of paramount importance on the issue before us.

Reference is made to the reported findings of fact in the suit for a more complete statement, the important facts relevant here being summarized below.

Opposer, Alfred Dunhill of London, Inc., is a Delaware corporation with offices in New York City. It was incorporated under its present name June 1, 1921 and began business as exclusive distributor in the United States of “DUNHILL” products procured from Alfred Dunhill of London, England, who was succeeded in business by Alfred Dun-hill Ltd., a corporation of Great Britain. Since May 15, 1922 opposer has operated a ground floor retail store in New York, in which “DUNHILL” products are sold, its present store being on Fifth Avenue at 50th Street. The goods sold under the “DUNHILL” trademark or trade name in 1922 and since included tobacco products, smoker’s articles, miscellaneous men’s jewelry, flat leather goods, canes, umbrellas, golf balls, razors, clocks, desk sets, playing cards, bridge sets, mahjong sets, silver tea sets, tea caddies, bar fixtures and accessories, luggage, brief cases, travel cases, toilet cases, and other gift items.

Opposer either owns or is a licensee under many trademark registrations of or including the name DUNHILL granted to it or to Alfred Dunhill Ltd., seventeen being listed in the notice, for tobacco products, lighters, razors, clocks and watches, pipes, cigar and cigarette holders, cosmetics, soaps and shaving creams, tobacco pouches, billfolds, purses, handbags, document cases, and wallets. One registration, No. 634,071, Sept. 4, 1956, claiming first use in 1929, is for “ALFRED dunhill” as a trademark for men’s ties. It is the only registration of op- . poser or its licensor in the clothing field.2

“DUNHILL” had a special significance, meaning opposer and its products, before applicant made any use of the mark and prior to the incorporation of applicant and has such significance at the present time.

Applicant was incorporated under its present name, under the laws of New [688]*688York, on August 13, 1923, by one William Block and no one by the name of Dunhill has ever had any connection with applicant or the Block family. From 1923 to 1955 applicant occupied upper floor places of business at 230 Fifth Avenue, 39 West 32nd Street, and 1 West 52nd Street in New York. Since then and at present it occupies a ground floor store at 65 East 57th Street.3

From 1923 to November, 1955 applicant was primarily in the clothing business but incidentally sold many items of haberdashery, men’s jewelry and the like, closely similar in kind to the sort of goods opposer was selling. In November, 1955 it moved to the 57th Street store and there used, as it had earlier, the name “DUNHILL” in referring to its various products and also used it in the term “DUNHILL TAILORS”, wherein the word “Tailors” was subordinated. Finding of Fact 29 in the suit reads:

“29. Defendant used the word ‘DUNHILL’ in its business at 65 East 57th Street with the purpose, intent and result that a substantial number of members of the purchasing public were confused, mistaken or deceived into the belief that defendant and its products were plaintiff and its products or that defendant was a part of or connected with plaintiff.”

The district court concluded that applicant had infringed opposer’s trademark and trade name rights, competed unfairly, and should be enjoined.

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Bluebook (online)
293 F.2d 685, 49 C.C.P.A. 730, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alfred-dunhill-of-london-inc-v-dunhill-tailored-clothes-inc-ccpa-1961.