Warner v. Searle & Hereth Co.

191 U.S. 195, 24 S. Ct. 79, 48 L. Ed. 145, 1903 U.S. LEXIS 1444
CourtSupreme Court of the United States
DecidedNovember 30, 1903
Docket42
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 191 U.S. 195 (Warner v. Searle & Hereth Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of the United States primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Warner v. Searle & Hereth Co., 191 U.S. 195, 24 S. Ct. 79, 48 L. Ed. 145, 1903 U.S. LEXIS 1444 (1903).

Opinion

Mr. Chief Justice Fuller,

after making the foregoing statement, delivered the opinion of the court.

In the Trade-Mark Cases, 100 U. S. 82, it was ruled that the act of July 8, 1870, carried forward into sections 4937 to 4947 of the Revised Statutes, was invalid for want of constitutional authority, inasmuch as it was so framed that its provisions were applicable to all commerce, and could not be confined to that which was subject to the control of Congress. But Mr. Justice Miller, speaking for the court, said-that the question “whether the trade-mark bears such a relation to commerce in general terms as to bring it within Congressional control, when used or applied to the classes of commerce which fall within that control, is one which, in the present case, we propose to leave undecided.”

That decision was announced at October term, A. D. 1879, and on March 3, 1881, an act was approved entitled “An act to authorize the registration of trade-marks and protect the same.” 21 Stat. 502, c. 138.

By its first section it was provided that “owners of trademarks used in commerce with foreign nations, or with the Indian tribes, provided such owners shall be domiciled in the United States, or located in any foreign country or tribes which by treaty, convention or law, affords similar privileges to citizens of the United States, may obtain registration of such trade-marks by complying with” certain specified requirements.

By the second section, the application prescribed by the first “must, in order to create any right whatever in favor of the party filing it, be accompanied by a written declaration,” *203 “that such party has at the time a right .to the use of the trademark sought to be registered, and that no other person, firm, or corporation has the right to such use, either in the identical form or. in any such near resemblance thereto as might be calculated to deceive; that such trade-mark is -used in commerce with foreign nations or Indian tribes, as above indicated; ...” -

The third section .provided that “no alleged trade-mark shall be registered unless the same appear to be lawfully used as such by the applicant'in foreign commerce or commerce with Indian tribes as above mentioned or is within the provision of a treaty, convention, or declaration with a foreign power; nor which is merely the name of the applicant; nor which is identical with a registered or known trade-mark owned by another and appropriated to the same class of mer- • chandise, or which so nearly resembles some other .person’s lawful trade-mark as to be likely to cause confusion or mistake in the mind of the. public, or to deceive purchasers.”

By the fourth section certificates of registration of trademarks were to be issued, copies of which, and of trade-marks and declarations filed therewith, should be evidence “in any suit in which such trade-marks shall be brought in controversy;” and by section five it was provided that the certificate of registry should remain in force for thirty years from its date, and might be renewed for a like period.

Sections seven, ten, eleven and thirteen are as follows':

“Sec. 7. That registration of a trade-mark shall be prima fade evidence of ownership. Any person who shall reproduce, counterfeit, copy or colorably imitate any trade-mark registered under this act and affix the same to merchandise of substantially the same descriptive properties as those described in the registration, shall be liable to an action-on the case for damages for the wrongful use of said trade-mark, at the suit of the owner thereof; and the party aggrieved shall also have his remedy according to the course of equity to enjoin the wrongful use of such trade-mark used in foreign commerce or *204 commerce with Indian tribes, as aforesaid, and to recover compensation therefor in any court having jurisdiction over the person guilty of such wrongful act; and courts of the United States shall have original and appellate jurisdiction .in such cases without regard to the amount in controversy.”

“Sec. -10. That nothing in this act shall prevent, lessen, impeach, or avoid any remedy at law or in equity which any party aggrieved by any wrongful use of any trade-mark might have had if the provisions .of this act had not been passed.

“Sec. ll. That nothing in this act shall be construed as unfavorably affecting a claim to a trade-mark after .the term of registration shall have expired; nor to give cognizance to any court of the United States in an action or suit between citizens, of the same State, unless the trade-mark in controversy is used on goods intended to be transported to a foreign country, or in lawful commercial intercourse with an Indian tribe.” .

“Sec. 13. That citizens and residents of this country wishing the protection of trade-marks in any foreign country, the laws of which require registration here as a condition precedent to getting" such, protection there, may register their trademarks for that purpose as is above allowed to foreigners, and ■ have certificate thereof from the Patent Office.”

Obviously the act was passed in view of the decision that . the'prior act was unconstitutional, and it is, therefore, strictly limited to lawful commerce with foreign nations and with Indian tribes. It is only the trade-mark used in such" commerce that is admitted to registry, and it can only be infringed when used in that commerce, without right, by another than its owner. ■ ' -

Reading the seventh, tenth and eleventh sections together, we find that the registration is jrrima facie evidence of ownership; that any person counterfeiting or colorably imitating any. trade-mark-registered under the act,-is liable, in the Federal, courts,--to an action on the case for damages for, and to 'injunction to restrain, its wrongful'use, that is, the use of the *205 simulated mark in foreign commerce or with the Indian tribes; -that the provisions of the act cannot operate to circumscribe any remedy which -a party aggrieved by any wrongful use of any trade-mark might otherwise have had; and that the courts of the United States cannot take cognizance of an action on the case or a suit in equity between citizens of the same State, “unless the'trade-mark in controversy is used on goods intended to be transported to a foreign country, or in lawful commercial intercourse with an Indian tribe.”

Where diverse citizenship exists, and the statutory amount is in controversy, the courts of the United States have jurisdiction, but where those conditions do not exist, jurisdiction can only be maintained when there is interference with commerce with foreign nations or Indian tribes, and it is in such cases that the amount is declared by section 7 to be immaterial-. ■ The registered trade-mark must be used in that commerce, and is put in controversy by the use of .the counterfeit or imitation on goods. intended for such commerce, as prescribed by section 11.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
191 U.S. 195, 24 S. Ct. 79, 48 L. Ed. 145, 1903 U.S. LEXIS 1444, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/warner-v-searle-hereth-co-scotus-1903.