Bulova Watch Co. v. Allerton Co.

328 F.2d 20
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedFebruary 13, 1964
DocketNos. 14254, 14255
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 328 F.2d 20 (Bulova Watch Co. v. Allerton Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bulova Watch Co. v. Allerton Co., 328 F.2d 20 (7th Cir. 1964).

Opinions

CASTLE, Circuit Judge.

Plaintiff, The Bulova Watch Company, Inc., brought this action in the District Court against the defendants, The Allerton Company, Inc., and A. Hirsch Co., [21]*21alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition and seeking injunctive relief and damages. The cause was submitted on the pleadings, and on stipulations and exhibits. The issue of damages, if any, was reserved1 until the issue of liability was determined. The District Court, filed an opinion containing its findings of fact and conclusions of law. The court found and concluded that the defendants’ use of plaintiff’s trademark “Bulova” constituted both infringement and unfair competition. The judgment order entered granted injunctive relief (but not to the extent sought by plaintiff) and denied plaintiff’s claim for any damages based on acts of the defendants prior to the date of the decree. Both plaintiff and defendants appealed.

The main contested issues on appeal involve the scope of the injunctive relief and the restriction of damages to any sustained by conduct subsequent to the decree.

The record discloses that plaintiff and its predecessor have for many years engaged primarily in the business of manufacturing, distributing and selling watches. The watch “movements” were never sold separately. Plaintiff has a long established registered trademark “Bulova” which appears on its watch cases and on the dial of watch movements. Plaintiff has invested large sums of money (over 100 million dollars since 1935) in advertising its products and trademark through various media. Plaintiff’s watches are identified by its trademark and have wide public acceptance.

It is admitted the defendants use Bulova movements in watches they sell in order to avail themselves of the quality and reputation of plaintiff’s product. The defendant Allerton is a wholly owned subsidiary of the defendant Hirsch. Since 1953 the defendants have purchased from sources other than the plaintiff (various dealers who purchased the watches from plaintiff) Bulova watches containing 6% x 8 ligne Bulova movements,2 and have transferred these movements, bearing the “Bulova” trademark on the dial, from their original Bulova cases into diamond-decorated cases 3 defendants purchase from a watch ease manufacturer. The defendants sell these wrist watches with the recased movements under the tradename “Treasure Mates” to certain retail outlets referred to as catalog houses. The public purchases these women’s type, diamond-decorated wrist watches by making a selection from a catalog and placing an order with the catalog house. The individual case or display box in which each watch is furnished bears the legend: “Treasure Mates — Genuine Diamond Case — with 17 J Bulova Movement”. No other wording appears on the case. The defendants prepare and furnish color pages or insert sheets covering their watches to the catalog houses for use in the latters’ catalogs. These prominently feature the word “Bulova” in connection with the diamond-decorated watches offered for sale. Although a choice of three different makes of watch movements is offered in any one of some eleven case styles referred to as Allerton Treasure Mate cases, and it is recited that the watches are “fully guaranteed as to material, workmanship and operation” by Allerton, the District Court aptly characterized the exhibit representative of defendants’ catalog insert sheets as follows:

“The Court has studied this page and concludes that the most probable impression a prospective customer would get would be that he was buying a Bulova, Hamilton, or Elgin watch in a diamond case. Those brand names are the most prominent words on the page (except [22]*22the word ‘Honor’ — which is advertising sales talk describing the prospective donee). The words Bulova, Hamilton, and Elgin were on a background of red and the eye first focuses on them. In not too prominent aspect are the words ‘Treasure Mates’ which is defendants’ name for its cases. In the block containing the guarantee the name Allerton appears twice. It appears to the Court that defendants’ name is in too inconspicuous a position, size and color to convey to and impress upon an untutored and unwary purchaser the idea that Allerton Company assembled, by first disassembling, a Bulova watch, removing the movement and then recasing it with a different case and crown. It is not immediately apparent from a cursory examination of this page just what ‘Treasure Mates’ means except to embellish the article with a fancy brand name, but whose brand is not immediately apparent.
“Its proximity to the words Elgin, Hamilton and Bulova might even give the idea that it might be a product of those companies. Much later there appears the rather indirect explanation that Treasure Mates cases have some association with Allerton Company.
* * * * •» «-
“If this were a catalog page usable only by dealers rather than the public, defendants’ argument would have much greater weight. Dealers might realize the distinction betweeix ‘movements’ and watches, whereas the public might not.
* ->r * •>:- * *
“A reader of this catalog page finds but a minimal refex-enee to defendants. Probably none would remember after reading that page any name but that of Bulova, Elgin or Hamilton, with which the reader was already familiar. The fine print iix which the somewhat lesser-known Allerton Company’s name appears would not make a lasting impression. Fux'thexmore, the only name appearing on the face of the watch is Bulova.”

A printed form of guarantee bearing Allerton’s name accompanies the watches sold by defendants. Defendants maintain a repair department to sei’vice watches covered by their guarantee. Plaintiff refuses to service or repair defendants’ watches and takes the position that the Bulova guarantee does not apply to Bulova movements which have been removed from their Bulova eases and re-cased in a case other than Bulova’s.

Statements made by some purchasers of defendants’ watches and the fact that, defendants’ watches are sometimes sent, to Bulova with a request for repairs etc.. evidence that some purchasers or their donees 4 are confused as to the soux-ce of' defendants’ watch.

The record indicates that the recasing operation, if properly performed, and a. case properly designed and sized to fit. the particular movement is used, does not adversely affect the movement. The operation includes the substitution of a. new crown which matches and is considered a part of the new case.

The District Court found, among other things, that the substitution of the new and different crown and case made the resulting product a “new construction” and “there has been an infringement by defendants of plaintiff’s trademarks pertaining to Bulova, and unfair competition by retention of the word ‘Bulova’ on the watch dial and on the catalog page without adding to the word Bulova a clear explanation and identification of defendants’ modification of the watch which Bulova had sold, without. Bulova’s permission or guarantee”.

The injunctive relief the District. Court awarded requires defendants either to remove the trademark “Bulova” from the face of the watch or to add the word “movement” thereto; requires that any catalog insert sheets describing [23]

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328 F.2d 20, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bulova-watch-co-v-allerton-co-ca7-1964.