Franklin Mint, Inc. v. Franklin Mint, Ltd.

331 F. Supp. 827
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 13, 1971
DocketCiv. A. 71-329
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 331 F. Supp. 827 (Franklin Mint, Inc. v. Franklin Mint, Ltd.) 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
Franklin Mint, Inc. v. Franklin Mint, Ltd., 331 F. Supp. 827 (E.D. Pa. 1971).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT, DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW, AND ORDER

GORBEY, District Judge.

This cause came to be heard February 22, 1971, on plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction. Prior thereto, an ex parte temporary restraining order was issued on February 10, 1971, and a ten day extension thereof was granted on February 22, 1971.

Plaintiff has alleged statutory trademark infringement, Lanham Trade-Mark Act, § 32(1), 15 U.S.C.A. § 1114(1); common law unfair competition; statutory unfair competition, Lanham TradeMark Act, § 43(a), 15 U.S.C.A. § 1125 (a).

Defendant did not appear either personally or by counsel at the hearing on plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction, and upon review of the record and consideration of plaintiff’s memorandum of law, proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law, the Court makes the following :

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiff, The Franklin Mint, Inc., is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, having its principal place of business at Franklin Center, Pennsylvania.

2. Defendant, Franklin Mint, Ltd., is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of England, having a place of business at 92 Oldfield Road, Sutton, Surrey, England.

3. Defendant received notice of this hearing on February 13, 1971, when its managing agent was personally served at the above address with the following documents: plaintiff’s verified complaint; plaintiff’s petition to make service upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; an order directing the Marshal to make service upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; plaintiff’s motion for a temporary restraining order; the temporary restraining order; plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction; and an order setting down the day and time for a hearing on plaintiff’s motion for said preliminary injunction.

4. Service upon the defendant was had by transmitting to the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to the defendant at its place of business, by registered mail, return receipt requested, a copy of the summons and the complaint, together with a copy of plaintiff’s petition to make service upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the order granting said petition.

5. In 1964, plaintiff was incorporated in Pennsylvania and began doing business as General Numismatics Corp. Shortly thereafter and prior to 1965, the plaintiff commenced trading as THE FRANKLIN MINT.

6. Plaintiff has used the mark, THE FRANKLIN MINT, in interstate commerce continuously since approximately 1965 on or in connection with coins, *829 tokens, medals, medallions, fine art products, and precious metal ingots.

7. Since the beginning of 1965, plaintiff has used THE FRANKLIN MINT in all of its financial reports, collateral literature, and publicity materials. Further, the mark, THE FRANKLIN MINT, was and is the focus of plaintiff’s advertising which since 1965 has totaled approximately six million three hundred thousand dollars, increasing from ten thousand dollars in 1965 to over three million dollars in 1970. ' ‘

8. The following marks were registered by plaintiff on the principal register in the United States Patent Office on the dates set forth below:

Trademark

Registration no.

Registration date

The Franklin Mint 871,805 6/24/69

The Franklin Mint 873,945 7/29/69

The Franklin Mint 875,401 8/19/69

The Franklin Mint (and Design) 881,072 11/18/69

The Franklin Mint (and Design) 881,073 11/18/69

The Franklin Mint Almanac 894,633 7/14/70

The Franklin Mint

The World's Foremost Private Mint 902,335 11/10/70

The World's Foremost Private Mint 902,755 11/17/70

9. On May 20, 1968, plaintiff’s corporate name was changed from General Numismatics Corp. to THE FRANKLIN MINT, INC.

10. Plaintiff’s annual sales volume for the period 1965 to 1970 was approximately eighty-eight million dollars, increasing from three hundred ninety-one thousand dollars in 1965 to forty-five million dollars in 1970.

11. Plaintiff employs approximately seventy persons directly engaged in quality insurance activities, in addition to which an extensive research and development department continuously seeks methods of maximizing quality of the product. One aspect of this quality is that the characteristics and distinguishing features of individuals are well sculpted and delineated. Plaintiff has received numerous awards for the quality of its products.

12. One of plaintiff’s methods of doing business is by direct mail advertising and presently there are about three different mailings per month emanating from The Franklin Mint, Inc. Such mailings vary in circulation from twenty thousand to as many as two million five hundred thousand people. Plaintiff also advertises in a wide variety of publications, many of which are circulated in England. Plaintiff has in excess of three hundred thousand established customers.

13. In addition to its own direct mailings, plaintiff also engages in cooperative marketing programs and has participated with the following firms in marketing a particular set or edition of coins or medals: American Express, Encyclopedia Britannica, Standard Oil Company, The United Nations Association of the United States and The National Trust for Historic Preservation.

14. Plaintiff often issues coins in a series. For example, The Roberts Byrd Series, The Roberts Zodiac Series, The Franklin Mint Presidential Series, Societe Commemorative de Femmes Celebres, etc. Presently, plaintiff is producing a series for the American Negro Commemorative Society, two of the medals in this series being the Thomas “Fats” Waller Medal which was issued in March, 1970, and the Bessie Smith Medal which was issued in January, 1971.

15. Since 1964, plaintiff has minted in excess of one billion coins and has sold these coins throughout the United States and in sixty other countries. Plaintiff has subsidiaries in England, Canada and France.

16. Through plaintiff’s extensive sales, its expansive advertising and promotional efforts, and the high quality of its product, the plaintiff’s trademark/trade name has become well and *830 favorably known to the general public and trade to identify the plaintiff’s goods, and they identify the source and origin of the plaintiff’s goods and represent substantial goodwill.

17. In January, of 1971, the defendant offered a coin product for sale in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Said offer was made by mailing into Pennsylvania, from Surrey, England, a brochure and a sample coin. This act was defendant’s initial act of doing business in the Commonwealth. The brochure consists of four pages and offers for sale a Louis Armstrong Commemorative Medallion. On the first page of the brochure is a photograph of Louis Armstrong, while on the second, there is a photograph of the obverse and reverse of the commemorative medallion.

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Bluebook (online)
331 F. Supp. 827, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/franklin-mint-inc-v-franklin-mint-ltd-paed-1971.