Moore v. Stewart

600 F. Supp. 655, 225 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 313, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23625
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Arkansas
DecidedJanuary 7, 1985
DocketCiv. 82-3056
StatusPublished

This text of 600 F. Supp. 655 (Moore v. Stewart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Moore v. Stewart, 600 F. Supp. 655, 225 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 313, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23625 (W.D. Ark. 1985).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

H. FRANKLIN WATERS, Chief Judge.

Plaintiff, Arnold P. Moore, brought this action against defendant, Charles Stewart, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1338(a) and (b) and 15 U.S.C. § 1121. Plaintiff claims damages for patent infringement, trademark infringement, unfair competition, and false designation of goods in commerce. Defendant denied the allegations of the complaint and counterclaimed for a declaratory judgment that the design patent in question was invalid and not infringed upon.

By an order of this court entered on December 6, 1983, the issue of liability on the patent infringement and unfair competition claims was tried separate and apart from the issue of damages. Trial on the liability issue was tried to the court on August 8 and 9, 1984.

I. Background

From the pleadings, stipulations of the parties, and the credible testimony presented at trial, it appears that plaintiff, a former coal miner, is now a full-time whistle builder. Prior to 1979 Mr. Moore whittled as a hobby, making toys and whistles. At the suggestion of friends who admired his work, plaintiff began making toy whistles with the intention of selling them. He testified that he worked for three to four months to design a configuration that he liked and which he thought would sell. During this period he experimented with a number of different kinds of whistles — including single and multi-tone whistles — be *658 fore he settled on a whistle configuration which he found pleasing. 1

The toy whistle configuration which Mr. Moore finally decided to market was a four-tone wooden whistle. Because the multiple tones created a , steam train whistle effect, the whistles were marketed as train whistles with a picture of a steam locomotive and train branded on one side. Plaintiff sold his first train whistle some time in March of 1979. Since that time he has sold many thousands of whistles. 2

The record reflects that plaintiff spent considerable time, effort, and money developing and promoting his new business. He and his family sold many whistles by traveling throughout the country, stopping at crafts shops, souvenir shops, crafts fairs, gift shops, antique shops, etc. They also developed a lucrative mail-order business. The Moores shipped train whistles to wholesale buyers throughout the United States and in Germany and Switzerland. As part of his promotion, Mr. Moore commissioned the drawing of a logo showing a cartoon character blowing one of Mr. Moore’s whistles. This logo was reproduced on business cards, posters, buttons, shipping cartons, and mailers. Plaintiff estimated that he had distributed several thousand business cards and posters since he began selling his whistles.

Mr. Moore met defendant Stewart some time around the middle of 1979. While on a sales trip, plaintiff stopped in to visit a woodcarving shop run by defendant Charles Stewart in Alpena, Arkansas. Because Mr. Stewart sold woodcarvings and other wooden items in his shop, Mr. Moore approached him about selling train whistles. Although defendant initially declined to buy any of the whistles, the men eventually agreed to trade woodcarvings for whistles. Mr. Stewart soon sold the whistles Mr. Moore left and ordered more whistles. The parties have stipulated that defendant bought and resold over 700 Moore whistles from April, 1979, to April, 1980.

On October 30, 1979, plaintiff filed an application for a patent; U.S. Design Patent No. 263,383 (hereafter referred to as 383) was issued to Mr. Moore on March 16, 1982. During this period defendant quit ordering whistles from plaintiff and began to make his own whistles. There was evidence presented that Mr. Stewart began selling his whistles to his customers rather than the Moore whistles. When Mr. Moore learned that Mr. Stewart was producing and selling what appeared to be an almost exact copy of his whistle, he contacted Mr. Stewart both in person and through his attorneys in an effort to make him cease production of the copies. When these efforts proved to be unsuccessful, this action was brought.

II. Discussion Incorporating Findings of Fact And Conclusions of Law

A. Design Patent Validity

A designer may procure a design patent pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 171: “Whoever invents any new, original and ornamental design for an article of manufacture may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.” A design patent does not protect the function or utility of an invention, but those elements of a design which give the invention a peculiar or distinctive appearance. Gorham Company v. White, 81 U.S. (14 Wall.) 511, 20 L.Ed. 731 (1872).

The law manifestly contemplates that giving certain new and original appearances to a manufactured article may enhance its saleable value, may enlarge the demand for it, and may be a meritorious service to the public. It therefore proposes to secure for a limited time to the ingenious producer of those appearances the advantages flowing from them.

Gorham, supra, at 525.

In addition to being ornamental rather than functional, the appearance of *659 the design for which protection is sought must be novel (35 U.S.C. §§ 101, 102) and nonobvious (35 U.S.C. § 103). See also Contico International v. Rubbermaid Commercial Products, 665 F.2d 820, 823 (8th Cir.1982).

Once granted, a patent enjoys a statutory presumption of validity. 35 U.S.C. § 282.

The mandate of section 282 is twofold, requiring “that a party asserting invalidity bear not only the presumption generated burden of going forward with proof but also the burden of persuasion on that issue.” The latter burden remains on the party asserting invalidity whether relevant prior art was or was not considered by the examiner during the prosecution of the patent application before the PTO. The presumption is fully rebutted only when the party asserting invalidity meets the burden of persuasion, i.e., relies on evidence that does in truth render the claimed invention invalid____

E.I. du Pont de Nemours v. Berkley & Co., 620 F.2d 1247, 1266 n. 30 (8th Cir. 1980). Furthermore, the party asserting invalidity must overcome the presumption of validity by substantial evidence.

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Bluebook (online)
600 F. Supp. 655, 225 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 313, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23625, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moore-v-stewart-arwd-1985.