Anglo Fabrics Co. v. Fabriken Anglomac

282 F. Supp. 454, 158 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 185, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12396
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedApril 2, 1968
DocketCiv. A. No. 2727-65
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 282 F. Supp. 454 (Anglo Fabrics Co. v. Fabriken Anglomac) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Anglo Fabrics Co. v. Fabriken Anglomac, 282 F. Supp. 454, 158 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 185, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12396 (D.D.C. 1968).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

GESELL, District Judge.

This is a suit to set aside dismissal by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of plaintiff’s opposition to defendant’s application for registration of a trademark.

Suit was brought under 15 U.S.C. §§ 1071, 1119 and 1121 (1964). The action has many of the features of a trial de novo and the Court has considered both the Patent Office record and additional evidence introduced at trial. Wilson Jones Co. v. Gilbert & Bennett Mfg. Co., 332 F.2d 216, 218 (2d Cir., 1964).

Plaintiff-opposer is the owner of two United States Patent Office registrations of the trademark “ANGLO” as applied to piece goods usable for ladies’ coats. These registrations appear on the principal register established by the Lanham Trademark Act of 1946, 15 U.S.C. § 1051 etseq. (1964).1

Defendant-applicant seeks to register a composite mark consisting of the word “ANGLOMAC” in association with a representation of a female wearing a coat. The trademark is to apply to ladies’ coats and wind jackets. Defendant has shown no actual use of its mark. Plaintiff’s registrations, use and advertising of the mark “ANGLO” predate defendant’s filing date of June 25, 1962.2

On September 28, 1965, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board dismissed plaintiff’s opposition to the registration of defendant’s mark.

The Board found that no distinction could be drawn between the goods to which “ANGLOMAC” would be applied and those to which plaintiff’s marks were being applied. However, the Board found that “ANGLO”, being the equivalent of the word “British”, had a geographically descriptive connotation and was, therefore, subject to a limited scope of protection as a trademark.

In support of its finding that “ANGLO” lacked distinctiveness, the Board relied on seven third-party registrations of marks containing the term “ANGLO” as applied to clothing or piece goods. No use of these marks was shown. The Board found the most pertinent to be “ANGLO-CRAFT” and “ANGLOBREEZE”, both of which contained a disclaimer of the word “ANGLO” and both of which appear on the principal register prior to plaintiff’s registrations.

The Board concluded:

“It cannot be denied that the term ‘ANGLO’ has a geographically descriptive connotation as applied to piece goods and articles of clothing, and considering the adoption thereof by others as a component of their trademarks, it is our opinion that applicant’s composite mark differs sufficiently from each of opposer’s marks as to obviate a likelihood of confusion, mistake, or deception. See: Milwaukee Nut Co. v. Brewster, 125 U.S.P.Q. 399 (C.C.P.A., 1960); Murray Corp. of America v. Red Spot, 126 U.S.P.Q. 390 (C.C.P.A., 1960) ; Servo Corp. of America v. Servo-Tex, 129 U.S.P.Q. 352 (C.C.P.A., 1961) ; and Cooperative Quality v. Dean Mills, 136 U.S.P.Q. 644 (C.C.P.A., 1963).”

The plaintiff’s opposition was dismissed.

Plaintiff argues that the Board erred in according “ANGLO” a limited scope of protection in disregard of 15 U.S.C. §§ 1057(b), 1115(b) (1964), the holding in Contour Chair-Lounge Co. v. Englander Co., 324 F.2d 186, 51 CCPA 833 (1963), and evidence which proves that the trade and members of the buying public know [457]*457that the word “ANGLO”, as applied to piece goods used to make ladies’ coats, means that the plaintiff is the source of the goods. Plaintiff alleges that the Board erred in relying on third-party registrations, no use of which was ever shown, as evidence of a lack of distinctiveness and as support for the proposition that “ANGLO” was geographically descriptive. Plaintiff claims that these errors -necessarily resulted in an erroneous decision with respect to the central issue before the Board: the likelihood of confusion, mistake or deception as between “ANGLO” and “ANGLOMAC”. 15 U.S.C. § 1052(d) (1964).

Defendant argues that the Board’s decision was correct in every respect and that the Court is bound by the rule, born of Morgan v. Daniels, 158 U.S. 120, 124, 14 S.Ct. 772, 38 L.Ed. 657 (1894), that:

“In patent and trademark cases * * * a finding of fact by the Patent Office as to * * * confusing similarity of marks must be accepted as controlling, unless the contrary is established by evidence ‘which in character and amount carries thorough conviction’.” Esso Standard Oil Co. v. Sun Oil Co., 97 U.S.App.D.C. 154, 157, 229 F.2d 37, 40 (1956), cert. denied, 351 U.S. 973, 76 S.Ct. 1027, 100 L.Ed. 1491 (1956).

The rule of Morgan v. Daniels has met with widespread acceptance. Aloe Creme Laboratories, Inc. v. Texas Pharmacal Co., 335 F.2d 72 (5th Cir., 1964) ; Radio Corp. of America v. International Standard Electric Corp., 232 F.2d 726 (3rd Cir., 1956); Fleetwood Co. v. Hazel Bishop, Inc., 352 F.2d 841 (7th Cir., 1965). However, the rule cannot be taken to mean that where the Board errs in according an opposer’s mark a limited scope of protection, the resulting decision with respect to the issue of confusing similarity is binding on a court unless the opposer presents thoroughly convincing evidence of actual confusion, mistake or deception. Such an interpretation would automatically result in affirmance of the Board’s action in a case such as this where there has been no use of the applicant’s mark.

The weaker an opposer’s mark, the more limited the protection available. The stronger the mark, the greater the protection against similar marks. Callmann, Trademarks, Vol. 3, p. 1505 (2d ed., 1950). To increase the scope of protection accorded “ANGLO” is to increase, as a matter of law, the likelihood of confusion, mistake or deception. Therefore, if the Board erred with respect to the strength of “ANGLO” as a trademark, then the legal foundations supporting the Board’s decision as to confusing similarity necessarily collapse and the Court must make an independent determination of that issue, unfettered by illogical extensions of the rule of Morgan v. Daniels.3

Section 7(b) of the Lanham Trademark Act of 1946, 15 U.S.C. § 1057(b) (1964), and the Contour

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Bluebook (online)
282 F. Supp. 454, 158 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 185, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12396, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/anglo-fabrics-co-v-fabriken-anglomac-dcd-1968.