Fish v. Redington

31 Cal. 185
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 1, 1866
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 31 Cal. 185 (Fish v. Redington) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fish v. Redington, 31 Cal. 185 (Cal. 1866).

Opinion

By the Court, Currey, C. J.:

This action was commenced in the District Court of the Twelfth Judicial District, in and for the City and County of San Francisco, in July, 1862, against the defendants, composing the firm of Redington & Co., to restrain them from preparing and offering for sale and selling an article manufactured by them in imitation of an article alleged by the plaintiff to have been invented and composed by him, bearing the name of “Fish’s Infallible Hair Restorative,” and from preparing and offering for sale and selling any article bearing that name; and also to restrain them from counterfeiting and simulating his trade marks, etc. And further, the plaintiff sought to obtain a decree requiring the defendants to account for the profit by them realized from sales of the imitated or genuine article, and a judgment for damages on account of the wrongs [187]*187an'd injuries which he alleged he had sustained by the infringement of his right by the defendant.

The defendants appeared and answered, after which the cause was submitted to a referee, duly appointed, who heard the evidence and reported a judgment in defendants’ favor. The plaintiff moved for a new trial, which being denied, he appealed from both the judgment and order overruling the motion for a new trial. The only question open to review arises upon the pleadings in the case, upon which the plaintiff moved for judgment at the opening of the trial, and upon which he has maintained throughout to be entitled to judgment. The pleadings were verified. The stating part of the complaint reads as follows:

“ And plaintiff further shows that heretofore, to wit: in the year 1855, at said city and county, he, the plaintiff, invented, manufactured and made an article for the restoring and strengthening of the human hair, to be used upon the head and hair, and gave it the name by which it was and is known, of ‘ Fish’s Infallible Hair Restorative.’ And plaintiff further shows that he is now, and for a long time has been, and at the time of and before the committing of the grievances hereinafter mentioned, was the manufacturer of said article, which he has for a long time offered for sale and sold in glass bottles labelled with his own proper labels, devices and trade marks, and in wrappers or circulars, all of which were composed, invented and adopted by this plaintiff for that purpose, specimens or copies of which labels, devices and trade marks and wrappers or circulars, are hereto annexed, and form part of this complaint marked Exhibit ‘A’ and Exhibit ‘B’—the first being a copy of the .label and the second a copy of the wrapper or circular. And plaintiff further shows, that by reason of his knowledge and long experience and great care in his said business of manufacturing and making, and the good and useful quality of the said article, the same became and was, at and before the time of the grievances hereinafter mentioned, widely known in the community as a valuable and useful arti- - [188]*188ele, and acquired a high reputation as such, and commanded, and still commands, as a valuable and useful article, an extensive sale at the said City and County of San Francisco, and throughout the said State of California, which is and for the last five years has been a source of great profit to the plaintiff.
“ And plaintiff further shows, that said article is known to the public, and to the buyers and consumers thereof, by the name of 'Fish’s Infallible Hair Restorative,’ and by this plaintiff’s own proper devices, trade marks, labels and wrappers or circulars.
“ And plaintiff further shows that, notwithstanding the long and quiet use and enjoyment by this plaintiff of said name, devices, trade marks, labels and wrappers or circulars, the defendants, well knowing the premises, but wilfully, wrongfully and unlawfully disregarding the rights of this plaintiff therein, thereafter, to wit: on or about the month of March,' in the year 1860, wilfully, wrongfully, unlawfully and fraudulently, prepared and offered for sale, and sold, and always have and do still and now offer for sale, and sell, at the said city and county, and elsewhere throughout said State of California, an article in imitation of the plaintiff’s article, which, with intent to deceive and defraud the public, and the buyers and consumers thereof, and to injure and defraud this plaintiff, they have put up, or caused to be put up, in similar packages, to wit: in glass bottles, labelled with nearly similar labels, devices, trade marks, and with nearly similar wrappers or circulars, of which false and nearly similar labels, devices, trade marks and wrappers or circulars, specimens or copies are hereto annexed and made part of this complaint, marked Exhibit ‘ C ’ and Exhibit ‘ D ’—the first being a copy of the spurious label, and the second a copy of the spurious wrapper or circular.
“ And plaintiff further shows that said last mentioned and nearly similar labels, devices, trade marks and wrappers or circulars, are fraudulent, counterfeit and spurious imitations of the plaintiff’s labels, devices, trade marks, and wrappers or circulars, and that the defendants have, and at all times when [189]*189selling or preparing any of said imitations of said article, have had full knowledge, and are and have been advised and informed that the said imitated labels, devices, trade marks, and wrappers or circulars are and have been pirated or simulated, and fraudulent counterfeits of the labels, devices, trade marks, wrappers and circulars invented, composed and adopted by this plaintiff, as aforesaid; all of which will more fully appear by reference to the exhibits hereto annexed and hereinbefore referred to.
“ And plaintiff further shows that said imitations and counterfeits are calculated to deceive the purchasers and consumers of plaintiff’s said article, and the public in general, and actually have misled, and do still mislead many of them to buy and purchase the articles offered for sale and sold by the defendants, in the belief that it is the article manufactured by this plaintiff, greatly to the diminution and damage of the business and profits of this plaintiff.
“ And the plaintiff further shows that the article so prepared and put up and sold by the defendants in imitation of the plaintiff’s article is of a greatly inferior article, and that, by reason of the premises, the general esteem and reputation of the said article manufactured by the plaintiff has been injured greatly, to the diminution and damage of the business and profit of this plaintiff.
“ And plaintiff further shows that the defendants for a long time past have caused, and do still cause, an advertisement, a copy of which is hereto annexed and made part of this complaint, marked Exhibit ‘E,’ to be published in the ‘ Daily Herald and Mirror,’ and various other newspapers published in said City and County of San Francisco, and like advertisements in many other newspapers throughout the State of California ; all of w'hich actings, doings, advertisings and publications, are contrary to equity, and greatly injure and damage said plaintiff
“ And plaintiff further shows that the defendants have shipped, and do still ship, large quantities of said imitation, so prepared and put up by them to be carried and offered for sale, [190]*190and sold out of this State, to the great diminution and damage of the business and profits of this plaintiff.

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Bluebook (online)
31 Cal. 185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fish-v-redington-cal-1866.