Pocahontas Operators Ass'n v. Carter Coal Co.

160 F.2d 114, 34 C.C.P.A. 926, 73 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 51, 1947 CCPA LEXIS 469
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedFebruary 11, 1947
DocketNos. 5244, 5245, 5246, and 5247
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 160 F.2d 114 (Pocahontas Operators Ass'n v. Carter Coal Co.) 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
Pocahontas Operators Ass'n v. Carter Coal Co., 160 F.2d 114, 34 C.C.P.A. 926, 73 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 51, 1947 CCPA LEXIS 469 (ccpa 1947).

Opinion

Hatfield, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

These are appeals in trade-mark opposition proceedings from the •decision of the Commissioner of Patents, 65 USPQ 4B0, affirming the decisions of the Examiner of Interferences dismissing appellant’s notices of opposition and holding that appellee was entitled to the registration of its four trade-marks comprising, essentially the term '“Olga” and the words “America’s Largest-Selling Pocahontas” for use on so-called “Pocahontas coal.”

Each of appellee’s applications for registration of its trade-marks was filed on September 1,1942.

In Appeal Ho. 5244, Opposition No. 22,364, appellee alleged in its application for registration that it had used the trade-mark comprising the words “OLGA America’s Largest-Selling Pocahontas” on its ■coal since August 4, 1942.

In Appeal No. 5245, Opposition No. 22,365, appellee alleged in its application that it had used the trade-mark, comprising the term “OLGA” in an inner circle and the words “America’s Largest-Selling Pocahontas Coal” in an outer circle on its coal since August 5, 1942.

In Appeal No. 5246, Opposition No. 22,366, appellee alleged in its .■application that it had used. the trade-mark comprising the term '“OLGA” in an inner circle, together with the words “America’s Largest-Selling Pocahontas” in an outer circle on its coal since August 5, 1942.

In Appeal No. 5247, Opposition No. 22,367, appellee alleged in its application that it had used the trade-mark comprising the term ‘“OLGA COAL” in an inner circle, and the words'“America’s Largest-Selling Pocahontas” in an outer circle on its coal since August 4,1942.

[928]*928In each of appellee’s applications, all of the words in its trademarks except the term “Olga” were disclaimed apart from the mark as shown.

Appellant filed a notice of opposition to each of appellee’s applications. It was alleged in appellant’s notices of opposition that it was a voluntary association located in the city of Bluefield, county of Mercer, State of West Virginia; “That the opposer, which term includes its members and its predecessors in business, has for many years last past, been engaged in the coal business as producers, dealers and merchants-and in the mining, sale and distribution of coal, which goods are of the same descriptive properties as the coal of Carter Coal Company, the applicant;” that prior to August 4, 1942, it had used in a circular design, a pictorial representation of a girl and the name “Pocahontas” and has continuously since used that mark in connection with the selling and distribution of Pocahontas coal; that it had used long prior to appellee’s first date of alleged use of its. trade-marks, such names as-“O. P.,” “Pocahontas Coal,” “Genuine Pocahontas,” “Original Pocahontas America’s Favorite Fuel,” and “Original Pocahontas America’s Favorite Household Fuel” to identify its coal; that by reason of extensive advertising, selling and distribution of its coal under the name “Pocahontas,” its mark has become widely and favorably known to the trade and to the purchasing public-throughout the United States as the property of opposer; that the-term “Pocahontas” in appellee’s marks comprises the essential feature-of the opposer’s name and that each of appellee’s marks is deceptively similar to opposer’s name and its marks; that the use by appellee-of its marks is likely to cause confusion in trade and deceive purchasers ; that that portion of appellee’s marks “America’s Largest-Selling: Pocahontas” “is false and misleading and misdescriptive as applied to applicant’s coal and its distribution;” that appellee is hot entitled to the exclusive use of its alleged marks including the notation “America’s Largest-Selling Pocahontas;” and that the opposer believes it will be damaged by the registration of appellee’s marks.

In its answers to appellant’s notices of opposition, appellee alleged that neither appellant nor its predecessors in business had ever been engaged in the coal business or in mining, selling or distribution of coal, as alleged in the notices of opposition; that the term “Pocahontas” “is a geographical or generic term and that neither the opposer, nor anyone' else, has or could possess exclusive ownership of said term for trade-mark purposes;” that appellee is the sole and exclusive owner of the trade-marks set. forth in its applications and that it is entitled to the registration of each of its trade-marks; that the allegations in appellant’s notices of opposition that it had used the trade-marks therein referred to on coal, were false, deceptive and [929]*929misleading; and that appellant would not be damaged by registration of appellee’s marks.

Considerable evidence was introduced by eacli of tbe parties.

On the record presented, the Examiner of Interferences and, on appeal, the Commissioner of Patents held that appellant is merely an informal, unincorporated, nonprofit association of coal producers; that the association has no constitution, charter, or by-laws; that it keeps no regular records and has no regular meetings; that it operates as a collective bargaining agent in making wage contracts for those coal producing companies which are members of the association; that it acts as an advertising agent for those members and employs attorneys for the purpose of carrying on certain litigation in which the several members of the association are themselves parties; that appellant does not produce or sell coal, nor does it exercise any control over the coal.producers which it claims to represent; that it has failed to establish that it would be damaged by the registration of appellee’s marks; and that it is not entitled to oppose the registration of ap-pellee’s marks under the provisions of section 6 of the Trade-Mark Act of February 20, 1905, and, accordingly, dismissed the notices of opposition.

Each of the tribunals of the Patent Office considered, ex parte, the right of appellee to the registration of its trade-marks, and each held, after considering the evidence of record, that appellee’s marks were not misrepresentative of its goods and that it was entitled to the registration of its marks.

Owing to the fact that the issues in the four appeals were substantially the same, and as the evidence submitted by the parties was contained in a consolidated record, the Commissioner of Patents disposed of the issues presented in a single decision. Accordingly, the four appeals to this court will be disposed of in one opinion.

It appears from the record that appellant is an association which has existed for more than 40 years; that the witness W. E. E. Koepler has been secretary of the appellant for more than 25 years; that appellant is an informal, unincorporated, nonprofit association of coal producers located in what is known as the Pocahontas coal field which, according to the record, inclufdes portion^ of McDowell, Mercer, and Wyoming counties in West Virginia, and Tazewell County, Virginia; that there are approximately 62 coal mines in the Pocahontas field; that many, if not all, of those companies use the term “Pocahontas” in advertising the coal mined by them; that among-the members of appellant association are the Algoma Coal and Coke-Company, of Algoma, West Virginia; the Pocahontas Corporation,, of Pocahontas, Virginia; Pocahontas Fuel Company, Incorporated, of Pocahontas, Virginia, and New York City, New York; and: [930]*930Pulaski Iron Company, of Pocahontas, Virginia; that according to the witness Koepler—

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160 F.2d 114, 34 C.C.P.A. 926, 73 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 51, 1947 CCPA LEXIS 469, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pocahontas-operators-assn-v-carter-coal-co-ccpa-1947.