American Petrofina, Inc. v. Mauro

185 F. Supp. 171, 125 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 643, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4963
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedMay 20, 1960
DocketCiv. No. 8520
StatusPublished

This text of 185 F. Supp. 171 (American Petrofina, Inc. v. Mauro) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Petrofina, Inc. v. Mauro, 185 F. Supp. 171, 125 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 643, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4963 (W.D.N.Y. 1960).

Opinion

HENDERSON, District Judge.

This is an action for trademark infringement and unfair competition brought (1) under the Trademark Laws of the United States, Title 15 U.S.C.A., Chapter 22; (2) under the General Business Law of the State of New York, Article 24; (3) under the common law; and in addition, (4) insofar as plaintiff, Canadian Petrofina Limited (“Canadian Petrofina”) is concerned, under the International Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property of 1883, as revised at Brussels in 1900, at Washington in 1911, at The Hague in 1925 and at London in 1934, and ratified by Canada and by the United States. Jurisdiction is founded on Title 15 U.S.C.A. § 1121 and Title 28 U.S.C. § 1338, and in addition, insofar as Canadian Petrofina is concerned, jurisdiction is founded on Title 28 U.S.C., Sections 1331 and 1332(a) (2).

Plaintiffs have moved, for a preliminary injunction in accordance with the prayer of the complaint. The court has reviewed the pleadings, briefs of counsel, affidavits, and depositions, together with the annexed exhibits, and on the entire record, as constituted on February 29, 1960, the date of hearing of this application, makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law.

Findings of Fact

The Parties

1. Plaintiff American Petrofina, Incorporated (“American Petrofina”) is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in New York City. Plaintiff Canadian Petrofina Limited (“Canadian Petrofina”) is a Canadian corporation with its principal place of business in Montreal.

2. Defendant Hi-Octane Co. Inc. (“Hi-Octane”) is a New York corporation whose principal place of business is at 581 Genesee Street, Buffalo, New York. Defendants Joseph Mauro, Jr. and Barry Lipsitz are both citizens of New York, residing in Erie County, and are the sole officers and stockholders of defendant Hi-Octane.

Expansion of “Fina” in Canada

3. American Petrofina and Canadian Petrofina are affiliated through Petrofina. [173]*173S. A. (“Belgian Petrofina”), a Belgian corporation, which owns substantial percentages of the stock of both companies.

4. In 1953 Belgian Petrofina organized Canadian Petrofina for the purpose of extending to the Western Hemisphere the marketing of “Fina” petroleum products previously marketed abroad under the “Fina” name and mark.

5. Beginning in 1953 Canadian Petrofina has rapidly expanded its “Fina” business in Canada. At the end of December 1958, before defendants made any use of “Fina,” Canadian Petrofina had 1,569 “Fina” gas stations in Canada, which had sold more than % billion gallons of “Fina” gasoline, 5,650,000 gallons of “Fina” lubricating oils, 4,900,000 pounds of “Fina” grease and 498,000 gallons of “Fina” antifreeze. Total net sales of “Fina” products through December 1958 exceeded $160,000,000 Canadian; and during that period Canadian Petrofina had invested more than $2,000,000 in “Fina” advertising.

Expansion of “Fina” in the United States

6. As part of a program projected in 1954 for the marketing of “Fina” products in the United States on a national basis, steps were taken to protect the “Fina” name and mark throughout the United States, by federal registration of the “Fina” trademark and by formation of a “Fina” name-saving corporation, which was qualified to do business in areas of prospective expansion of “Fina” business, including the State of New York.

7. In April 1956 American Petrofina was organized for the marketing of ■“Fina” products on a nationwide basis. American Petrofina commenced business as an operating company, with headquarters in New York City, on October 1, 1956.

8. Since the opening of its first “Fina” gas station in 1957, American Petrofina has expanded the marketing of “Fina” products into new territories. At the end of 1958, and before defendants had used “Fina” at all, there were 1,202 “Fina” gas stations in operation, located in nine states, namely, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. At the end of December 1959 there were 1,704 “Fina” gas stations in operation in 13 different states, including new marketing territories in the States of Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

9. By the end of 1959 American Petrofina had sold more than 353,000,000 gallons of “Fina” gasoline, more than 1,000,000 gallons of “Fina” motor oils and more than 1,000,000 pounds of “Fina” grease, total net sales of “Fina” products amounting to approximately $43,000,000. During that period American Petrofina invested over $800,000 in “Fina” advertising.

10. American Petrofina is continuing the expansion of its “Fina” business with the ultimate objective of achieving nationwide- distribution of “Fina” products.

Federal Registrations of “Fina”

11. American Petrofina owns four federal registrations of the “Fina” mark for petroleum products on thé Principal Register of the 1946 Trademark Act, and is the owner of the goodwill of the business ássoeiated with the “Fina” mark of the registrations, as follows;

Number Issue Date
620,240 January 31, 1956
664,285 July 15, 1958
673,746 February 10, 1959
674,437 February 24, 1959

12. - All four “Fina” registrations were published for opposition purposes in the Patent Office Official Gazette prior to defendants’ first use-of “Fina,” and before defendants’ adoption of “Fina” they had “constructive notice of the registrant’s claim of ownership thereof.”

13. Each of American Petrofina’s four registrations on the Principal Register of the 1946 Act is “prima facie evidence of the validity of the registration, registrant’s ownership of the mark, and of registrant’s exclusive right to use the mark in commerce in connection with the [174]*174goods * '* * specified in the certificate * * 15 U.S.C.A. § 1057(b).

“Fina” in New York State

14. “Fina” has been used continuously since 1954 on grease and oil produced for Canadian Petrofina in North Tonawanda, New York. More than 5,000,000 pounds of grease and oil bearing the “Fina” mark have been shipped into Canada from North Tonawanda. Substantial quantities of oil in drums bearing the “Fina’ mark have been shipped from North Tonawanda to the Petrofina companies in Belgium and the Belgian Congo since 1956.

15. “Fina” highway billboards have been maintained by Canadian Petrofina continuously since 1956 on main highways of New York State on the approaches to the Canadian border, including’ one “Fina" billboard on Niagara Falls Boulevard (U. S. highway 62, N. Y. 18), and another on U. S. highway 20 (N Y. 78) approaching Buffalo.

16. The introduction and growth of plaintiffs’ “Fina” business in the United States and Canada have been widely publicized in trade journals and in business and financial publications with large circulations in the State of New York; “Fina” has been regularly advertised in media reaching the Niagara frontier area of New York, including radio and television broadcasts and trade publications.

17.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
185 F. Supp. 171, 125 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 643, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4963, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-petrofina-inc-v-mauro-nywd-1960.