Scholl Mfg. Co. v. Simon

173 F.2d 245, 36 C.C.P.A. 939
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedMarch 1, 1949
DocketNo. 5527
StatusPublished

This text of 173 F.2d 245 (Scholl Mfg. Co. v. Simon) 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
Scholl Mfg. Co. v. Simon, 173 F.2d 245, 36 C.C.P.A. 939 (ccpa 1949).

Opinion

JOHNSON, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from the decision of the Commissioner of Patents affirming the decision of the Examiner of Interferences dismissing appellant’s notice of opposition to appellee’s application for registration of the notation “Zindex” as applied to a foot preparation for athlete’s foot, and holding that appellee was entitled to register the mark under Section 5 of the Trade-Mark Act of February 20,1905.

It is alleged in appellee’s application for registration that appellee has used its mark on its goods since November BO, 1943.

In its notice of opposition, appellant alleges that it is the owner of the' trade-mark “Solvex”; that it has used its mark on its goods since March, 1930, and that it would be damaged by the registration of the mark “Zindex” to appellee; that it would interfere with the rights vested in appellant; that it is deceptively' and confusingly similar to appellant’s mark and would cause deception and confusion of the trade and purchasing public; that it would enable the appellee to trade on and reap the benefits of the good will and reputation of appellant, and allow appellee and his dealers to pass off its goods as those of appellant and reap the harvest and benefit of appellant’s costly and extensive advertising and other selling efforts; that appel-lee’s product is an article substantially identical with appellant’s said product and is of the same descriptive properties and in the same class.

Appellant also contends that the use by appellee pn his labels of the words “Aid-Oil Drugs” adds to the confusing similarity which he alleges exists between the marks in issue due to- appellant’s use of the trade-mark “Ease-All,”- registered in Class 44, and that such use by appellee will cause deception to those purchasers who- look at the maker’s name.

Evidence was introduced by each of the parties. •

In his decision, the; commissioner held, as did the Examiner of Interferences, that “when the marks are considered in their entireties, as they must be; they are so generally dissimilar that confusion in trade would not be likely td occur.”

[941]*941The commissioner also held that “The two marks neither look alike, sound alike, nor have any similarity in meaning.” We concur in those findings.

During the taking of its testimony (depositions), the appellant introduced three additional registrations of marks which it claims to be somewhat more similar to appellee’s mark than “Solvex,” and gave notice that it would move to amend the notice of opposition “at or before the hearing under Rule 15 (b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.” Thereafter appellant did move to amend the notice of opposition to conform the pleadings to the proof under Rule 15 (b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The Examiner of Interferences denied the motion to amend, refused to consider other marks than the one originally pleaded, and excluded all evidence concerning the other marks. That ruling was affirmed by the commissioner.

Rule 15 (b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U. S. C. A. foil. sec. 128 c, reads in part as follows:

Rule 15. Amended and Supplemental Pleadings
* * * * * # sS
(b) Amendments to Conform to the Evidence. When issues not raised by the pleadings are tried by express or implied consent of the parties, they shall be treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings. Such amendment of the pleadings as may be necessary to cause them to conform to the evidence and to raise these issues may be made upon motion of any party at any time, even after judgment; but failure so to amend does not affect the result of the trial of these issues. * * *

Appellant contends that because appellee did not object to testimony taken by appellant regarding the marks “Zino-Pads,” “Zin-Ox Pads,” and “Zino,” or to the notice of amendment until it came to the taking of appellant’s rebuttal testimony, more than six months later; and that because appellee took testimony and introduced exhibits in answer to the testimony of appellant with respect to the marks “ZinOx Pads,” “Zino-Pads,” and “Zino,” “The ‘issues not raised by the pleadings’ as originally filed were, therefore, ‘tried by express or implied consent’;” and that “Any objections which might have been made were, therefore, waived by appellee.”

We do not agree with that contention. The taking of testimony and the introduction of exhibits during the taking of the testimony did not constitute a trial of the issues. The issues were tried before the Examiner of Interferences at final hearing. At the final hearing, appellee expressly objected to the proposed amendments and to the evidence relating thereto. The examiner properly sustained those objections. Section 6 of the Trade-Mark Act of February 20, 1905, as amended, providing that “Any person who believes he would be damaged by the registration of a.mark may oppose the same by filing no[942]*942tice of opposition, stating the grounds therefor, in the Patent Office within thirty days after the publication of the mark sought to be registered,” precludes any amendment setting up new grounds of opposition if filed more than thirty days' after publication of the mark sought to be registered. Hannis Distilling Co. v. George W. Torrey Co., 32 App. D. C. 530. There a motion asking leave to amend the notice of opposition was filed after the thirty days allowed by statute had expired, and in affirming the decision of the examiner and commissioner denying the motion, the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia, which then had jurisdiction in appeals in opposition proceedings, held: “We think the Examiner of Interferences properly denied the motion upon the following statement: ‘If the amendment does not contain matter constituting new grounds of opposition, no advantage can result to the opponent- from its admission, and the amendment should be denied; if it does set out new grounds of opposition, it is brought too late, and cannot be allowed.’ ”

The Hannis Distilling Co. case, supra, is conclusive on the point of bringing an amendment after the statutory limit has passed.

Because appellant’s motions to amend were denied by the examiner, he also refused to give further consideration to the question of confusing similarity insofar as the notations “Zino,” “Zin-Ox Pads,” and “Zino-Pads” were concerned. Appellant, in his appeal to the commissioner, assigned as error the refusal of the examiner to consider those marks and determine without reference to the precise issues raised by the pleadings that applicant was not entitled, ex parte, to registration of his mark. The commissioner held that opposer was not entitled to be heard on evidence in support of grounds not specifically pleaded, citing Goldsmith Brothers v. Atlas Supply Co., 32 C. C. P. A. (Patents) 1001, 148 F. (2d) 1016, 65 USPQ 378.

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Related

Pratt & Lambert, Inc. v. Chapman & Rodgers, Inc.
136 F.2d 909 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1943)
Goldsmith Bros. v. Atlas Supply Co.
148 F.2d 1016 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1945)

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173 F.2d 245, 36 C.C.P.A. 939, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/scholl-mfg-co-v-simon-ccpa-1949.