Reymer & Bros. v. Huyler's

190 F. 83, 1911 U.S. App. LEXIS 5337
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Western Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 3, 1911
DocketNo. 51
StatusPublished

This text of 190 F. 83 (Reymer & Bros. v. Huyler's) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Western Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reymer & Bros. v. Huyler's, 190 F. 83, 1911 U.S. App. LEXIS 5337 (circtwdpa 1911).

Opinion

YOUNG, District Judge.

This is a trade-mark case, and not a case of unfair competition. Most of the affidavits in the case, which is a suit to enjoin the infringement of a trade-mark, and the arguments of counsel are altogether irrelevant, because they are more applicable to. a case of unfair competition than to one of infringement of a trademark. The principle governing courts in such cases has been clearly formulated by Judge Acheson in the case of Codillot v. American Grocery Co. (C. C.) 71 Fed. 873, where it is said:

“Courts of equity interfere by injunction to protect trade-marks, upon the ground that the plaintiff has a valuable interest in the good will of his trade, and that a rival merchant or manufacturer shall, not be permitted, by the use of the plaintiff’s symbol, to palm off his own goods to purchasers as those of the plaintiff. McLean v. Fleming, 96 U. S. 245 [24 L. Ed. 828]. To. entitle a plaintiff to an injunction, it is not necessary that a specific trade-márk has been infringed; for, irrespective of a technical question of trade-mark, a defendant has no right, by imitative devices, to deceive purchasers, and thus induce them to believe that they are buying the goods of the plaintiff. Id.: Coates v. Thread Co., 149 U. S. 562, 13 Sup. Ct. 966 [37 L. Ed. 847]. As to the degree of similarity necessary as a ground for an injunction, no precise, rule, applicable to all cases, can be formulated; but the decisions agree that it is enough if the resemblance is so close that purchasers exercising ordinary caution are likely to be misled. In McLean v. Fleming, supra, the court (citing Gorham Co. v. White, 14 Wall. 511 [20 L. Ed. 731]) said: ‘Two trademarks are substantially the same, in legal contemplation, if the resemblance is'such as to deceive an ordinary-purchaser, giving such attention to the same as such a purchaser usually gives, and to cause him to purchase the one, supposing it to be the other.’ The resemblance need not be such1 as would deceive persons who would see the two marks placed side by side. Seixo v. Provezende, 1 Ch. App. 192, 195. “'Similarity, not identity,’ said Judge Bradley, in Celluloid Manufg. Co. v. Cellonite Manufg. Co. [C. C.] 32 Fed. 94, 97, ‘is the usual recourse when one party seeks to benefit himself by the good name of another. What similarity ¡is sufficient ijo effect the object has to be determined in each case by its own circumstances. We may say, generally, that-a similarity which would be ilikely to deceive Of mislead an ordinary, unsuspecting customer is obnoxious to the law.’ ”

These principles are still further defined and applied, in their application to the two classes of cases of unfair competition and. .infringement of trade-marks, by Judge Baker in Church & Dwight Co. v. Russ (C. C.) 99 Fed. 276, 278:

“The tendency of the courts at the present time seems to be to restrict' the «cope of the law applicable to technical trade-marks, and to extend its.sbópe [85]*85In cases of unfair competition. Mill Co. v. Alcorn, 150 U. S. 460 [14 Sup. Ct. 151, 37 L. Ed. 11441; Laughman's Appeal, 128 Pa. 1 [18 Atl. 415, 5 L. R. A. 599]; Koehler v. Sanders, 122 N. Y. 65 125 N. E. 205, 9 L. R. A. 576]; Castle v. Siegfried. 103 Cal. 71 [37 Pac. 210]; Fleischmann v. Starkey [C. C.] 25 Fed. 127. As this case falls more appropriately under the head of an infringement of a technical trade-mark, rather than under the head of unfair c.unpetition. it becomes desirable to ascertain as nearly as may he the distinctions, as well as the points of resemblance, between them. The underlying principle of each is the same, namely, the prevention of that which in its operation and results, and usually in intention, is a fraud upon the public," and an injury to the rival- trader. That this is the underlying principle is ciearlv shown in the leading case on technical trade-mark law (Canal Co. v. Clark, 10 Wall. 311, 322 [20 L. Ed. 581]) where the Supreme Court say: ‘This will l>e manifest when it is considered that, in all cases where rights to the exclusive use of the trade-mark are invaded, it is invariably held that the essence of the wrong consists in the sale of the goods of one manufacturer or vendor as those of another, and that it is only when this false representation is directly, or indirectly made iha1 the party who appeals to a court of equity can have relief. This is the doctrine of ail the cases.’ But, while the idea of fraud or imposition lies at the foundation of the law of technical trade-marks. as well as the law of unfair competition, it must be borne in mind that fraud may rest in actual intent shown by the evidence, or may -lie inferred from the circumstances, or may lie conclusively presumed from the. act itself. In the case of unfair competition the fraudulent intent must be. shown by the evidence, or bo inferable from the circumstances, while, in.the case of tlie use by one trader of the trade-mark or trade symbol of á rival-trader. fraud will be presumed from ils wrongful use. it is commonly said that, tliere is a right of property in a technical trade-mark, and an infringement of it is spoken of as a violation of a property right.”

Regarding this property right, it was said bv Mr. Justice Miller in Trade-Mark Cases, 100 U. S. 82. 92. 25 L. Ed. 550; "

“The right to adopt find nse a symbol or a detice to distinguish rite goods or property made or sold by the person whose mark it is, to the exclusion of use by all other persons, has been long recognized by the common law and tiie chancery courts of England and of this country, and by the statutes of-some of the states. It is a property right for the violation of which damages may lie recovered in fin action at law, and the continued violation of it wiii he enjoined by a court of equity, with compensation for past infringement. This exclusive, right was not created by the act of Congress, and does not now depend upon it for its enforcement. The whole system of trade-mark property and the civil remedies for its protection existed long anterior to that act, and have remained in full force since its passage.”

In Columbia Mill Co. v. Alcorn, 150 U. S. 460, 14 Sup. Ct. 151, 37 L. Ed. 1144, it is said :

“These cases establish the following general propositions: (]) That to acquire the right to the exclusive use of a. name, device, or symbols, as a trademark, it must appear that it was, adopted for the purpose of-identifying the origin or ownership of the article to which it is attached, or that such trademark must point distinctively, either by itself or by association, to the origin. manufacture, or ownership of the article on which it is stamped. It must be designed, as its primary object and purpose, to indicate the owner or producer of the commodity, and to distinguish it from like articles manufactured by others. (2) That if the device, mark, or symbol was adopted -or placed upon the article for the purpose of.identifying its class, grade, style, or quality, or for any purpose oilier than a reference to or indication of its ownership, it cannot be sustained as a valid trade-marlt. (3) That the exclusive right to the use of a.

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Related

Canal Co. v. Clark
80 U.S. 311 (Supreme Court, 1872)
Gorham Co. v. White
81 U.S. 511 (Supreme Court, 1872)
McLean v. Fleming
96 U.S. 245 (Supreme Court, 1878)
United States v. Steffens
100 U.S. 82 (Supreme Court, 1879)
Coats v. Merrick Thread Co.
149 U.S. 562 (Supreme Court, 1893)
Columbia Mill Co. v. Alcorn
150 U.S. 460 (Supreme Court, 1893)
Koehler v. . Sanders
25 N.E. 235 (New York Court of Appeals, 1890)
Castle v. Siegfried
37 P. 210 (California Supreme Court, 1894)
Piper v. Laughman
18 A. 415 (Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, 1889)
Celluloid Manuf'g Co. v. Cellonite Manuf'g Co.
32 F. 94 (U.S. Circuit Court, 1887)
Fleischmann v. Starkey
25 F. 127 (U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Rhode Island, 1885)
Church & Dwight Co. v. Russ
99 F. 276 (U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Indiana, 1900)
Godillot v. American Grocery Co.
71 F. 873 (U.S. Circuit Court for the District of New Jersey, 1896)

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Bluebook (online)
190 F. 83, 1911 U.S. App. LEXIS 5337, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reymer-bros-v-huylers-circtwdpa-1911.