Procter & Gamble Co. v. J. L. Prescott Co.

16 F. Supp. 65, 1936 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1968
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedFebruary 12, 1936
DocketNo. 4307
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 16 F. Supp. 65 (Procter & Gamble Co. v. J. L. Prescott Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Procter & Gamble Co. v. J. L. Prescott Co., 16 F. Supp. 65, 1936 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1968 (D.N.J. 1936).

Opinion

AVIS, District Judge.

This action was originally instituted by plaintiff upon an allegation that defendant, in the manufacture and distribution of a cleaning product under the mark “Oxol,” infringed plaintiff’s product “Oxydol,” having similar properties and uses.

Defendant, answering, denied the infringement; asserted its right to market “Oxol”; and counterclaimed, alleging that plaintiff had violated the rights of the defendant in manufacturing a soap product called “Chipso” in view of defendant’s trade-mark “Chase-O,” under which it marketed a product having similar qualities and uses.

In the main case the testimony has been heard and argument had, but decision has not yet been rendered.

In the meantime, and while the principal issues were pending, the defendantcounterclaimant filed a petition in the Patent Office at Washington, D. C., praying for the cancellation of the trade-mark “Chipso” which had been theretofore registered by the plaintiff, and proceeded to hearings thereon before the examiners and the Commissioner of Patents. While that matter was in progress of being heard, counsel for defendant-counterclaimant amended its counterclaim by setting up the proceedings being had in the Patent Office, and practically adding a new cause of action. The prayer of this amendment was as follows: “That the Court order the Certificate of Registration of the Plaintiff for the word ‘Chipso,’ No. 141,205, to be delivered up -to the Commissioner of Patents for cancellation.” The amendment was entered'on November 20, 1931.

[66]*66On May 12, 1933, another amendment to the counterclaim was proposed, and, by order of this court, allowed, setting forth the decision of the acting examiner of. trade-mark interferences of the Patent Office with respect to the validity of the trade-mark “Chipso.”

Later, on August 4, 1933, counsel for defendant-counterclaimant again moved to amend by inserting in the counterclaim, and in support of the prayer for cancellation of the trade-mark “Chipso,” the decision of the First Assistant Commissioner of Patents upon an appeal taken from the decision of the acting examiner of trademark interferences.

This motion was granted, and an order entered on February 7, 1934, allowing the amendment nunc pro tunc as of September 18, 1933.

The decisions of the examiner, the acting examiner of trade-mark interferences, and the commissioner all were favorable to the contentions of the defendant-counterclaimant, and recommended the cancellation of the trade-mark “Chipso,” registration No. 141,205.

From this decision of the Commissioner of Patents the plaintiff appealed to the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals, and that court, on ’May 27, 1935, rendered a decision [77 F.(2d) 98, 104], holding' that the plaintiff in the instant case was not entitled to the use of the mark “Chipso,” and affirming the decision of the commissioner. On June 12, 1935, the order affirming was duly entered.

Counsel for defendant-counterclaim-ant now moves to amend by setting up this decision of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals, and claims that because of the various facts and matters set up in this and the previous amendments, the cause of action set forth in defendantcounterclaimant’s “Amendment to Counterclaim,” filed November 19, 1931 (apparently should be November 20, 1931), has now become res adjudicata.

In conjunction with, and in support of, the motion to amend, and the request of a finding of res adjudicata, counsel offers in evidence all of the record, of petitions, testimony, and other proceedings presented to and considered by the examiners and commissioner, and the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.

I am satisfied that the amendment should be allowed, and that the evidence should be received, and I hold that the order of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals is res judicata.

However, I do not believe that the effect of such amendment and evidence is to justify this court in entering a decree in favor of counterclaimant ordering a cancellation of the trade-mark. On the other hand, I am satisfied that the result bars the counterclaimant from any recovery in this court on that portion of the counterclaim contained in the various amendments of counterclaimant.

Under the provisions of the various statutes, an appeal might have been taken to the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals, or a bill in equity might have been filed in a court having cognizance thereof, to review the decision of the commissioner. Both remedies were attempted in this case, and the proceedings in this court were in progress at the same time that the case was before the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals; the actions were concurrent, and this is proper. This principle is maintained by counsel for counterclaimant in his brief, and I agree. The cases cited in his brief are conclusive. See Corning Glass Works v. Robertson, Commissioner of Patents, 62 App.D.C. 130, 65 F.(2d) 476; Stanton et al. v. Embrey, Adm’r, 93 U.S. 548, 554, 23 L.Ed. 983.

In the case of Kline v. Burke Construction Company, 260 U.S. 226, 230, 43 S.Ct. 79, 81, 67 L.Ed. 226, 24 A.L.R. 1077, the court said: “Whenever a judgment is rendered in one of the courts and pleaded in the other, the effect of that judgment is to be determined by the application of the principles of res adjudicata by the court in which the action is still pending in the orderly exercise of its jurisdiction, as it would determine any other question of fact or law arising in the progress of the case.”

In the opinion of the court in the cáse of United States v. California Bridge & Construction Company, 245 U.S. 337, on page 341, 38 S.Ct. 91, 93, 62 L.Ed. 332, the court said: “The doctrine of estoppel by judgment, or res judicata, as a practical matter, proceeds upon the principle that one person shall not a second time litigate, with the same person or with another so identified in interest with such person that he represents the same legal right, precisely the same question, particular controversy, or issue which has been necessarily tried and finally determined, upon its merits, by a court of competent jurisdiction, [67]*67in a judgment in personam in suit. Hopkins v. Lee, 6 Wheat. 109, 113, 5 L.Ed. 218; Washington, Alexandria & Georgetown Packet Co. v. Sickles, 24 How. 333, 16 L.Ed. 650; Id., 5 Wall. 580, 18 L.Ed. 550; Lovejoy v. Murray, 3 Wall. 1, 18, 18 L.Ed. 129; Litchfield v. Goodnow, 123 U.S. 549, 8 S.Ct. 210, 31 L.Ed. 199; Southern Pacific R. Co. v. United States, 168 U.S. 1, 48, 18 S.Ct. 18, 42 L.Ed. 355; Fayerweather v. Ritch, 195 U.S. 276, 25 S.Ct. 58, 49 L.Ed. 193; Bigelow v. Old Dominion Copper Mining Co., 225 U.S. 111, 127, 32 S.Ct. 641, 56 L.Ed. 1009, Ann.Cas.1913E, 875; Bigelow on Estoppel, c. 3.” a former

In the case of Grubb v.

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Bluebook (online)
16 F. Supp. 65, 1936 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1968, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/procter-gamble-co-v-j-l-prescott-co-njd-1936.