Chrysler Corp. v. Trott

83 F.2d 302, 23 C.C.P.A. 1098, 1936 CCPA LEXIS 90
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedMay 4, 1936
DocketNo. 3581
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 83 F.2d 302 (Chrysler Corp. v. Trott) 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
Chrysler Corp. v. Trott, 83 F.2d 302, 23 C.C.P.A. 1098, 1936 CCPA LEXIS 90 (ccpa 1936).

Opinions

Hatfield, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from the decision of the Commissioner of Patents affirming the decision of the Examiner of Trade-Mark Interferences dismissing the notice of opposition of Holland S. Trott, [1099]*1099and holding that appellant was not entitled to the registration of the words “Floating Power” as a trade-mark, for use on engine mountings, on the ground that the alleged trade-mark was merely descriptive of the goods on which it was used.

In its application, appellant alleged that it had continuously used its trade-mark on engine mountings since June 3, 1931.

In his notice of opposition, opposer alleged that he had used the notation “Floating Engine” as a trade-mark “in connection with both the installation and sale” of engine mountings, long prior to June 3, 1931, the date of alleged first use by applicant of its trademark; that his éngine mountings were so designated and known during that period of time; that the goods of the parties possess the same descriptive properties; that, prior to its first use of its trademark, applicant was aware of opposer’s use of the notation “Floating Engine” on opposer’s engine mountings; that opposer has continuously used the notation “Floating Engine * * * as a trademark since a date prior to the alleged use of applicant’s trade-mark, which is June 3,1931”; that the marks are confusingly similar; that their concurrent use by the parties would be likely to cause confusion of origin and ownership of the goods to which they were applied; and that- opposer would be damaged by the registration to appellant of its trade-mark. (Italics ours.)

Opposer further alleged in his notice of opposition that “Attached to this petition are photographs showing how opposer’s trade-mark ‘Floating Engine’ has been, and is, used on automotive engine mountings.”

In its answer to the notice of opposition, appellant stated that, to its knowledge, opposer had never used the trade-mark “Floating Engine” on engine mountings. Appellant denied that the photographs attached to the notice of opposition actually disclosed any use by the opposer of the term “Floating Engine” as a trade-mark on engine mountings, prior to appellant’s first use of its trade-mark, and alleged that the opposer would not be damaged by the registration of appellant’s mark.

The record discloses but one photograph, dated March 31, 1932, attached to opposer’s notice of opposition.

it appears from the testimony of the opposer, Holland S. Trott, that the notation “Floating Engine” had never been applied to his engine mountings, or parts thereof, prior to March 31,1932, although he had used the term in connection with such mountings in “conversation, in promotion of the business, [and] in sale arguments and talks” prior to 1929, “and in letters written to * * * automobile concerns” as early as sometime in the summer of 1929.

In his decision, the Examiner of Trade-Mark Interferences stated that the notice of opposition raised only the question, of the con[1100]*1100fusing similarity of the marks; that it was clear from the record that the opposer had not used its alleged trade-mark “Floating Engine” as such prior to the first use by appellant of its trade-mark; that, therefore, the opposer was not in a position to oppose the registration, and, accordingly, dismissed the notice of opposition.

However, the examiner considered the application ex parte, and held that the words “Floating Power”, when used on engine mountings, were merely descriptive of the character or quality of the goods on which they were used; that appellant was not entitled to the exclusive use of its alleged trade-mark; and that, therefore, it was not entitled to register the same under the provisions of the Trade-Mark Act of February 20, 1905, as amended.

Appellant appealed from the decision of the Examiner of TradeMark Interferences to the Commissioner of Patents.

The opposer did not appeal.

When the cause was submitted to the Commissioner of Patents, appellant questioned the right of the opposer and his counsel to appear and be heard on the issues presented by appellant’s appeal, and further moved to “strike the brief” of counsel for the opposer.

Although conceding the proceeding to be ex parte, the commissioner, nevertheless, held that, due to the fact that counsel for appellant had made certain stipulations with counsel for the opposer relative to the filing of briefs and the postponement of the hearing, and the fact that certain charges of fraud were made in the brief of counsel for appellant, he would receive and consider the brief of counsel for the opposer, regardless of the right of the opposer to appear as a party to the proceeding. In other words, as we understand it, the commissioner permitted counsel for the opposer to file a brief and argue the cause as amicus curiae.

The next question presented to the commissioner was stated by him as follows:

* * * Is the opposer so guilty of fraud and misrepresentation in filing his opposition as to vitiate the proceeding entirely and render it void ab initio [as claimed by counsel for appellant]? Careful consideration has been, given to this question with the result that it is concluded, notwithstanding the strong language employed by the applicant in referring to the opposer, that nothing appears in the record which justifies the view that the opposer was either deceitful or fraudulent in filing the opposition. Indeed, it seems that tüie opposer is guilty only of a variance, of a difference between pleading and proof. * * *

The commissioner concluded that the opposition proceeding was not void ab imitio, and that he had jurisdiction to decide the case on its merits.

In his decision, holding that the mark was merely descriptive of the goods on which it was used, the commissioner stated that [1101]*1101prior to the first use by appellant of the notation “Floating Power” as a trade-mark on engine mountings—

* * * it was common, practice to refer to tlie engine as a floating one [in issued patents where mountings of the type used by appellant were involved). For example, United States Letters Patent No. 1,701,396, applied for nearly five years before the applicant’s alleged date of first use and granted more than two years before, refers to “floating the engine”, to a “floated mass”, to the “engine floating elements”, and to the “engine being floated”. Patent No. 1,729,394, both applied for and granted long before applicant’s first use, speaks of a “floating engine”, the “floating body”, etc., in describing a resilient engine mounting. Also, Patent No. 1,761,584, applied for and granted before the applicant’s use of the notation, repeatedly refers to the action as being a “floating action”, the mount as being a “floating mount”, the engine as being a “floating engine”.
It seems obvious, if a power unit or source of power is mounted in resilient mountings of this character, and refeired to as “floating power”, the term, is merely descriptive of the assemblage. The term “floating” when so applied is clearly and, as indicated by the patents or records, obviously descriptive. The addition thereto of the term “power” does not save the notation and render it non-descriptive.

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Bluebook (online)
83 F.2d 302, 23 C.C.P.A. 1098, 1936 CCPA LEXIS 90, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chrysler-corp-v-trott-ccpa-1936.