Pennwalt Corp. v. Becton, Dickinson & Co.

434 F. Supp. 758, 201 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 33, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16231
District Court, D. New Jersey·Decided April 22, 1977·No. Civ. 77-0399·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

BIUNNO, District Judge.

This is a trademark infringement and unfair competition case. Jurisdiction is grounded both on diversity of citizenship, 28 U.S.Code § 1332 and on the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.Code § 1051 et seq. This calls for consideration of both similarity of the marks used and of the other features such as trade dress. 1

In any event, no differences between federal and state law applicable to the issues appear to exist in regard to the major controversy.

The complaint was filed February 25, 1977, with process served February 28, 1977, and the matter was scheduled for hearing on application for preliminary injunction.

However, due to an extended jury trial of a criminal case which was called on January 11, 1977 — not yet completed — the Court suggested to the parties that evidence be gathered by deposition, document discovery and otherwise, which would not call for judicial time that was unavailable; and also that trial on the merits be advanced and consolidated with the hearing on the application under F.R.Civ.P. 65(a)(2). 2

This course was followed and over a period from March 17, 1977, to March 31, 1977, deposition testimony, comprising 925 pages, was adduced from nine witnesses and more than 120 exhibits were marked.

On the afternoon of April 15, 1977, after the jury in the criminal case had been instructed, the combined hearing and trial were begun and continued daily through April 20, 1977, when arguments on both sides were completed.

*759 Six witnesses testified at the trial, filling out and extending the materials already compiled, and a number of affidavits and exhibits were received in evidence, as well. Eight exhibits were marked at the instance of the Court and several reference works were approved by the parties as sources for judicial notice. 3

On review of these materials, together with the briefs and arguments of counsel, the Court is satisfied that the matter is ripe for both preliminary and final adjudication except for certain collateral aspects to be noted later. 4

Pennwalt markets a product with the mark CRUEX, 5 composed of calcium unde-cylenate as the active ingredient, together with talcum powder and a perfume. Perhaps a lubricant may also be included.

The product was originally marketed by William H. Singer, who sold it on mail order back in 1963. At that time he operated a sole proprietorship business as Package Services, in White Plains. The product was then sold as CRUEX, as a spray powder in a plastic bottle with the CRUEX label.

His ads were published in the New York Daily News and he received some 400 orders over about a year. A photocopy of the labeling shows that the bottle was a squeeze bottle.

In 1964 Singer sold CRUEX to Strasenberg Laboratories and turned over his customer list. He also forwarded later mail orders as received. Strasenberg Laboratories had merged with Wallace & Tier nan effective January 1, 1961, became a division of that company, and later was called W. T. S. Pharmaceutical.

In 1964 Pharmacraft was acquired from the Seagram Company and in 1969 Wallace & Tiernan merged with the Pennsalt Company to become Pennwalt, with the pharmaceutical business continuing as Pharma-craft, a division of Pennwalt.

As of 1961 Pharmacraft had been marketing two products sold as non-prescription ethical drugs, that is, to physicians rather than to consumers. One was DESENEX, an anti-fungal agent primarily offered for athlete’s foot and general fungus infections; and CALDESENE, a powder to treat diaper rash in babies.

In 1961 marketing of these items as proprietary products over the counter to consumers was begun. The anti-fungal agent in DESENEX was undecylenic acid, and in CALDESENE it was calcium undecylenate.

*760 When Singer marketed CRUEX he merely packaged the same formula as CALDE-SENE which then had 15% of the active ingredient. This proportion was unchanged until 1972-3 when this ingredient was reduced to 10%. The witness McGraw testified that the proportion for CRUEX was always 10 percent.

CRUEX was marketed specifically for “jock itch,” tine a cruris, and is still so marketed. For a period it was packaged as an aerosol powder, but with the hue and cry about claims of long-term ecological damage from fluorocarbons and the risk that they might be banned, as cyclamates have been, and as saccharine may be, it has been packaged as a spray powder in a squeeze bottle for the last 18 months or so as it was when Singer sold it. 6

National retailing of CRUEX began with test marketing in 1966 under the direction of Mark Logan, now an employee of defendant. Logan explained that market tests are used for a new product primarily to avoid a mistake at the national level so that if there were a complete market failure it would be on a small scale.

From that time on obstacles were encountered in securing advertising to emphasize the term “jock itch.” The evidence shows the term is widely known and has been for many years but that its appearance in print for advertising or its use on the air for radio and TV broadcast was taboo. Its use was regarded as “not in good taste.”

The reason for this is not entirely clear, as the views are doubtless reflections of subjective notions, as observed by the witness Popofsky. Inspection of entries in Webster’s Third International Dictionary indicates that the squeamishness may be due to the association of the term with “jock strap,” a common term for an athletic supporter, the derivation of which is given in the dictionary as employing the Scottish word for “penis”.

The term “jock itch” is also in the dictionary and is denoted as synonymous with the Latin term “tinea cruris,’’ and the definition indicates that it is a fungus infection of the groin.

References to Latin dictionaries disclose that “tinea” means ringworm or the like and “cruris” is the genetive case of the noun “crus,” meaning leg or shin. Thus, tinea cruris translates as ringworm of the groin for which the commonly recognized expression is “jock itch,” doubtless due to association of the condition with an improperly fitted or inadequately washed jock strap. The medical texts show that it is a fungus condition. 7

The resistance of the larger newspapers, including the New York Times, was gradually overcome. Next, magazines were taken on and the same resistance was encountered and eventually overcome.

The witness Gale was familiar with this history because he first began selling CRUEX in the market tests of 1966 and recalls that resort to euphemisms such as “groin irritation” had to be used if ads were to be placed.

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Pennwalt Corp. v. Becton, Dickinson & Co., 434 F. Supp. 758, 201 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 33, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16231 (D.N.J. 1977).

434 F. Supp. 758 (Pennwalt Corp. v. Becton, Dickinson & Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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