In re Railley Corp.

119 F.2d 595, 28 C.C.P.A. 1122, 49 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 377, 1941 CCPA LEXIS 73
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedMay 5, 1941
DocketNo. 4524
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 119 F.2d 595 (In re Railley Corp.) 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
In re Railley Corp., 119 F.2d 595, 28 C.C.P.A. 1122, 49 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 377, 1941 CCPA LEXIS 73 (ccpa 1941).

Opinion

BlaND, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The mark sought to be registered in this proceeding is “PIN-IT-UP” used on electric lamps.

On November 14, 1933, Linfitt-Hunter-Ward, Inc., of Cleveland, Ohio, filed application in the United States Patent Office to register said mark for electric lighting fixture units consisting of complete wall lamps for house lighting. It appears from the record that registration under the Trade-mark Act of February 20, 1905, was refused on the ground that the mark was descriptive, whereupon the mark was registered under the act of March 19, 1920, registration No. 313,519. In the application it was stated that the trade-mark had been used in the applicant's business since on or about February 1933, and that “The mark has been in bona fide use for not lfess than one year in interstate commerce by the applicant.”

On July 23, 1934, Linfitt-Hunter-Ward, Inc., executed an assignment of this trade-mark registration certificate to the Hartley Corporation, appellant herein.

On June 10,1936, appellant filed its application to register said mark under the Trade-mark Act of February 20, 1905, and in its application stated that it had continuously used and applied the mark to its goods since about April 1933. There was also recited the fact that appellant was the owner of the aforesaid certificate of registration No. 313,519.

The Examiner of Trade-marks refused to register said mark under the 1905 act on two grounds: First, that the mark was descriptive of the goods to which it was applied; and second, “on the further ground that such prior registration under the 1920 Act [No. 313,519] estops applicant from now obtaining registration under the 1905 Act.”

Appellant then appealed to the Commissioner of Patents who, on August 4, 1939, affirmed the decision of the Examiner of Trade-marks, on the ground that appellant was estopped to register the mark under the 1905 act by reason of its ownership of the said 1920 registration. [1124]*1124He also held that appellant’s assignor by registering under the act of 1920, had admitted the descriptive character of its mark, and that the question of descriptiveness was no longer open to argument.

Appellant then petitioned for reconsideration, stating:

Applicant now has two courses of action to pursue, namely: either to appeal to the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals or to cancel or disclaim the registration under the 1920 Act and go back to the examiner of trade-marks.
If applicant should elect to cancel or disclaim the registration under the 1920 Act, the case would be returned to the examiner of trade-marks, who would no doubt adhere to his original decision that the mark is descriptive and not registrable under the 1905 Act; in which event a second appeal to the Commissioner would be necessary. * * * On the other hand, should the Assistant Commissioner disagree with the examiner of trade-marks in holding the mark to be descriptive, then in that event applicant could cancel or disclaim the registration under the 1920 Act, and the trade-mark could be registered, as such a decision of the Assistant Commissioner would be binding upon the examiner of trademarks. It seems unfair and illogical to require applicant to cancel or disclaim its 1920 registration on a chance that it might obtain a registration under the 1905 Act.

The commissioner, upon reconsideration, wrote a supplementary decision on August 21, 1939, in which he disapproved of the examiner’s rejection on the ground that the mark was descriptive but affirmed his refusal to register on the ground of estoppel “for the reasons stated in my former decision.” The commissioner said:

Counsel for applicant thus seems to assume that the cancellation of applicant’s 1920 registration would insure allowance of the present application were the mark held to be nondescriptive. That is a point upon which I expressly reserve judgment, leaving its solution in the first instance to the examiner of trade-marks.
It is my opinion, however, that applicant’s mark, while highly suggestive, is not objectionably descriptive of the goods to which it is applied; and the examiner’s refusal to register on that ground is disapproved. His refusal to register on the ground of estoppel, stands affirmed for the reasons stated in my former decision.

To the extent indicated the petition is granted.

No appeal was taken from the decision of the commissioner of August 4, 1939, or that of August 21, 1939, but before the Examiner of Trade-marks the appellant sought to disclaim “its entire right, title and interest in and to Registration Certificate No. 313,519, registered in the name of Linfitt-Hunter-Ward, Inc., under the Act of March 19, 1920, without however disclaiming its ownership of the trade mark PIN-IT-UP or its right to register such trade mark under the Trade Mark Act of February 20, 1905, as amended.” In addition, it filed a petition to cancel said registration certificate No. 313,519. There were also submitted affidavits to the effect that the trade-mark was no longer the property or used by Linfitt-Huntér-Ward, Inc., and also that the mark was not used for one year, which is required by the statute in order for the mark to be registrable under the Act of [1125]*11251920. Additional affidavits were later filed stowing that said certificate No. 313,519 “was not assigned to the Railley Corporation until July 23, 1934, whereas the Nailley Corporation's use of the trademark began in April 1933.”

The Examiner of Trade-marks refused to enter the disclaimer and again stated that the applicant was estopped from registering its mark under the act of 1905 by reason of the registration of the trademark by its predecessor under the 1920 act and that “This question is res adjudicata in view of the decision of the Assistant Commissioner of Patents rendered herein on August 21, 1939.” In his final action on the case he adhered to his rejection for the reason last-above stated and said that the decision of the Commissioner of Patents on reconsideration, August 21, 1939, was “no holding that the mark might be registered if the prior registration were canceled.”

Appellant thereupon filed a paper entitled “Petition to the Commissioner, July 31, 1940” in which it was argued that “This applicant is claiming no benefit or advantage by reason of such registration [313,519] and in fact disclaims the registration and should, therefore, not be held to be estopped to deny the descriptiveness of the trade mark, especially since the Assistant Commissioner has held that the trade mark is not objectionably descriptive.”

The Commissioner, in a decision dated September 5, 1940, stated that:

The examiner has held in effect that such, disclaimer and cancelation would not remove the bar of estoppel upon which the instant application stands rejected, and by this petition applicant seeks a review and reversal of that ruling.

The commissioner quoted from both his prior decisions and concluded as follows:

The action of the examiner is affirmed. The petition is denied.

On October 17, 1940, appellant filed its notice of appeal to this court.

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Bluebook (online)
119 F.2d 595, 28 C.C.P.A. 1122, 49 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 377, 1941 CCPA LEXIS 73, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-railley-corp-ccpa-1941.