National Distillers & Chemical Corp. v. William Grant & Sons, Inc.

505 F.2d 719, 184 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 34, 1974 CCPA LEXIS 110
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedNovember 27, 1974
DocketPatent Appeal No. 74-566
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 505 F.2d 719 (National Distillers & Chemical Corp. v. William Grant & Sons, Inc.) 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
National Distillers & Chemical Corp. v. William Grant & Sons, Inc., 505 F.2d 719, 184 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 34, 1974 CCPA LEXIS 110 (ccpa 1974).

Opinion

RICH, Judge.

This appeal is from the decision of the Patent Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, 180 USPQ 342 (1973), sustaining appellee’s opposition to the registration of DUET as a trademark for prepared alcoholic cocktails, application serial No. 333,597 filed July 25, 1969, claiming first use July 11, 1969. Incidental to this appeal on the merits, appeal was simultaneously taken from a much earlier decision of the board of March 20, 1972, abstracted at 173 USPQ 813, granting a motion to dismiss a counterclaim filed by the applicant to cancel the registration relied on by the opposer. This appeal was not taken until November 9,1973. We reverse.

Facts

Neither party took testimony, but both stipulated that named witnesses, one for each side, would, if called, give certain testimony. There is no conflict in the stipulated testimony.

Applicant’s evidence shows that it has been a manufacturer and seller of various brands of alcoholic beverages since 1933. The prepared cocktails it has sold since 1969 under the trademark DUET are marketed in cans containing two drinks, the intention behind the mark being to suggest that the contents are sufficient to provide drinks for two people or two drinks. Eleven different cocktails are sold under the mark. Applicant’s sales from July 11, 1969, through July 30, 1972, amounted to $7,415, 389, and extended throughout the United States. Nearly $500,000 was spent on advertising.

Opposer relies on its Reg.No. 387,-768, of May 27, 1941, renewed 1961, of DUVET for “liqueur” and on use of DUVET on French brandy since 1957. Paragraph 5 of opposer’s stipulated testimony states:

Currently Opposer’s DUVET trademark is being used solely in connection with the sale of brandy and Op-poser’s records show that the following sales of DUVET brandy were made during the years indicated:
Cases
June 1966-May 1967 12,807
June 1967-May 1968 7,562
June 1968-May 1969 6,032
June 1969-May 1970 6,044
June 1970-May 1971 5,705

Paragraph 7 of opposer’s stipulated testimony states that the following is a specimen of the DUVET brandy label now being used:

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Bluebook (online)
505 F.2d 719, 184 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 34, 1974 CCPA LEXIS 110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-distillers-chemical-corp-v-william-grant-sons-inc-ccpa-1974.