Esquire, Inc. v. Maira

101 F. Supp. 398, 91 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 318, 1951 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2035
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 6, 1951
DocketCiv. A. 3793
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 101 F. Supp. 398 (Esquire, Inc. v. Maira) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Esquire, Inc. v. Maira, 101 F. Supp. 398, 91 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 318, 1951 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2035 (E.D. Pa. 1951).

Opinion

WATSON, Chief Judge.

This is a suit for an alleged infringement of a trade-mark and unfair competition. The Plaintiff is the publisher of “Esquire” Magazine and seeks to enjoin the Defendant, Samuel Maira, from using the name “Esquire” in connection with a men’s clothing store operated by the Defendant in the City of Pittston, Pennsylvania, under the name “Esquire Shop”. Plaintiff has withdrawn its original request for damages, costs and attorneys’ fees.

The case was tried without a jury and the Court makes the following special findings of fact:

1. The Plaintiff is a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Delaware with its principal places of business in Chicago, Illinois and New York City, New York.

2. The Defendant is a citizen and resident of the State of Pennsylvania.

3. The amount in controversy, exclusive of interest and costs, exceeds $3,000.00.

4. Since 1933, Plaintiff and its immediate predecessor, Esquire Publishing Company, have been in the business of publishing a magazine called “Esquire”, subtitled “The Magazine for Men”, and also a trade magazine called Esquire’s “Apparel Arts”. ■

5. The Plaintiff’s predecessor, Esquire Publishing Company, was granted a Trade Mark, Number 313,768, by the United States Patent Office on June 5, 1934, for the word “Esquire” for use on its monthly publication.

6. “Esquire” magazine was at first a men’s fashion. magazine published for the *400 consumer, but to be sold only through the men’s stores. Demand for the magazine was great and so it was also placed on the newsstands.

7. “Esquire” magazine was expanded in scope to include articles and stories, photographs, cartoons, 'and drawings, all with a definite masculine flavor.

8. 10 to 20% of the editorial content of “Esquire” magazine is .still devoted to men’s fashions.

9. A considerable portion of the advertising in “Esquire” magazine pertains to men’s wearing apparel, ranging from a high of 47.42% of total advertising in 1941 to a low of 30.49% in 1950.

10. “Esquire” magazine has acquired a wide and favorable reputation as an authority on men’s fashions.

11. The distribution of “Esquire” magazine is general and extensive 'and has acquired much popularity with men throughout the country.

12. The average net paid circulation of “Esquire” magazine has risen from 149,680 copies in 1934 to 790,256 copies in 1950.

13. As an adjunct to its magazines, Plaintiff does promotional work in men’s wearing apparel and accessories.

14. Plaintiff has a working arrangement with manufacturers who advertise in “Esquire” magazine, whereby Plaintiff supplies the manufacturers with window display cards with their ads 'affixed to them, which the manufacturers in turn send out to their retail customers for display in their store windows. The cards will generally have written across the top the words “You saw it in Esquire”, accompanied by a reproduction of the familiar dapper, bulbous-eyed little gentleman called “Esky”, who appears on the cover of “Esquire” Magazine.

15. Plaintiff also prepares tags for manufacturers who advertise in “Esquire” to place on their products. The tags also carry a reproduction of “Esky” and also carry the words “As Advertised in Esquire”.

16. Plaintiff distributes millions of the above window display cards and tags to manufacturers who advertise in “Esquire”.

17. Plaintiff also promotes and exploits fashions appearing in “Esquire” by tying them in with retail establishments throughout the country. Plaintiff prepares window display material for retail stores, direct mail material which stores can mail to customers, and mats for advertising which may be used in the local newspapers.

18. Plaintiff also runs advertisements of its own in newspapers and magazines and sends mail material directly to the public, calling attention to various aspects of “Esquire” which pertain to men’s fashions.

19. One of the fashion promotion ideas of the Plaintiff is that of the familiar “Mr. T”, which was designed to stimulate the sale of men’s clothing with a new kind of fashion — one which was supposed to make men look tall, thin, and trim. Plaintiff first ran fashion pages of “Mr. T” in its trade magazine “Apparel Arts” in July, 1950, and then followed it up in the “Esquire” magazine issue of October, 1950. As part of the “Mr. T” promotion, Plaintiff supplied window display cards, tags, stickers, advertisement materials and direct mail material to approximately 800 men’s retail stores throughout the country.

20. The tie-in of the promotion work with “Esquire” magazine has helped to introduce new fashions, styles, trends, and ideas in the field of men’s apparel.

21. No magazines prior to “Esquire”, or at the present time, perform the same promotional work in men’s fashions.

22. Most of the promotional material is-distributed to the manufacturers and retailers free of charge.

23. Plaintiff maintains a promotion department in its organization which prepares-this material. Thirty-two people are engaged in promotional work in Plaintiff’s offices in Chicago and New York City.

24. Promotion expenses, which include-the cost of promoting the “Esquire” magazine as well, have risen from $49,904 in. 1933, to $1,014,669 for the fiscal year of 1950.

25. The Defendant, Samuel Maira, is-the owner and operator of a men’s clothing and furnishings store at 66 North Main Street, Pittston, Pennsylvania, and for ap *401 proximately the past 3 years has owned and operated said store under the name of “Esquire Shop”.

26. Until March or April of 1951, the large sign above Defendant’s store carried the name “Esquire Shop” with the word “Esquire” being written in the distinctive script which Plaintiff has used on its magazines and for which it has received a Trade Mark from the United States Patent Office. In March or April of 1951, the sign wias repainted to read “Sam Maira’s Esquire Shop, Style Creators”, with the word “Esquire” now appearing in block lettering instead of the distinctive script.

27. Defendant’s store window contains a small sign in the shape of an artist’s palette with the words “Esquire Shop, Style 'Creators” appearing thereon. The word “Esquire” is written in the distinctive script employed by the Plaintiff on its magazines.

28. Defendant displays the words “Esquire Shop” on its store bags and also in its advertisements in the local newspapers.

29. Defendant places labels in some of the clothing he sells, which labels read “Esquire Shop”.

30. Defendant has kept copies of “Esquire” Magazine in his store, along with other magazines, for customers to read.

31. • Defendant had seen and read issues of “Esquire” magazine prior to the time he opened his store, the “Esquire Shop”.

32.

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Bluebook (online)
101 F. Supp. 398, 91 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 318, 1951 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2035, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/esquire-inc-v-maira-paed-1951.