Warren Bros. v. Barber Asphalt Paving Co.

108 N.W. 652, 145 Mich. 79, 1906 Mich. LEXIS 732
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 23, 1906
DocketDocket No. 150
StatusPublished

This text of 108 N.W. 652 (Warren Bros. v. Barber Asphalt Paving Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Warren Bros. v. Barber Asphalt Paving Co., 108 N.W. 652, 145 Mich. 79, 1906 Mich. LEXIS 732 (Mich. 1906).

Opinion

Moore, J.

The bill was filed for an injunction to restrain the defendant from infringing upon the trade-name of the complainant and from offering to manufacture or construct the Bitulithic pavement or any pavement under that name, and prayed that the court determine the complainant to be the sole owner of the right to use the trade-name “Bitulithic” in connection with street pavements. The bill in substance alleges that a certain form of street pavement had been designed and invented by Frederick J. Warren, which had been brought to its present state of perfection through an organization of experts, and that said Warren had assigned all his rights to a corporation that on February 27, 1900, was changed to Warren Broth-ers Company, the complainant; that the complainant advertised the pavement very extensively in numerous [80]*80States of the United States and Canada, and about the 1st day of January, 1902, it coined the word “Bitulithic” and applied said word to said pavement and thereafter designated its pavement by that name; that it continued to manufacture said pavement and to sell it under the name “Bitulithic Pavement,” and at great expense made the pavement under that name known to purchasers and prospective purchasers, and that it has become popular and well known in all of the cities of this country, and a great demand therefor has been created, and that a valuable good will and property in the name “Bitulithic” as a trade-name and as applied to the pavement manufactured and sold by the complainant has been acquired, and that the purchasing public has become accustomed to associate the term “Bitulithic,” as applied to street pavements, to the particular pavement manufactured and sold by the complainant.

The bill also alleges the investment by complainant of a large sum of. money to enable complainant to meet the requirements of its business of manufacturing and selling the particular form of pavement known and designated by it as “ Bitulithic” and that the complainant has caused the word “ Bitulithic,” as applied to street pavements, to be copyrighted and to be filed for . record as a copyrighted word in the office of the secretary of State of the State of Michigan. The bill also alleges that the Barber Asphalt Paving Company was also organized for the purpose of constructing street pavements, and that until about the time of its attempt to infringe upon the rights of the complainant it was principally engaged in the selling and constructing of sheet asphalt pavements.

That on July 15, 1904, the city of Detroit, by its department of public works, called for proposals f or the construction of a large amount of Bitulithic pavement. That the right to sell and construct said pavement was a valuable property right and belonged exclusively to the complainant and to its duly authorized representatives. That at the time fixed for the submitting of proposals the defend[81]*81ant submitted proposals, and thereby offered to sell and to construct a pavement which it designated “Bitulithic,” and the purpose and intention of the defendant in offering to construct a pavement named “ Bitulithic” was to appropriate to itself the good will and property acquired by the complainant in the name “ Bitulithic” as applied to street pavements. That the defendant has offered to sell to various cities and villages in the State of Michigan a pavement manufactured by it under the name “Bitulithic Pavement,” and of so nearly and substantially the same general character of construction as that manufactured and sold by the complainant as to deceive the general public, and that the purpose of the defendant in so doing has been and is to appropriate to itself the good will and property of the complainant in the name “ Bitulithic” as applied to street pavements, and that unless restrained the defendant will further infringe upon the complainant’s rights, and prayed for an injunction.

The defendant answered, denying that this pavement was the original invention of Frederick J. Warren; that it has no knowledge as to whether the word “Bitulithic,” as applied to street pavements, was coined by the complainant or not; that it has no knowledge as to whether the word “ Bitulithic ” was copyrighted by the complainant or filed for record as a copyrighted word in Michigan; that it denies that it has sold or constructed any kind of street pavement by the name “ Bitulithic,” but it admits that it has constructed pavements somewhat similar to the complainant’s Bitulithic pavement. It admits the call for proposals by the department of public works of Detroit, but alleges that specifications had been adopted designating the material and the method of construction and character of the work required and that its proposal was made in accordance with the same, and that it would not be lawful for the department of public works to receive bids for a pavement described merely by a certain name, but only upon specifications describing its construction, It denies it has the intention of violating any of [82]*82the rights of the complainant, and denies that by the use of any. term in bidding upon specifications for the construction of a pavement any one could be misled into the belief that the pavement the defendant proposed to supply was one manufactured or to be manufactured by the complainant.

Proofs were taken in open court and the bill was dismissed. The case is brought here by appeal.

Counsel for complainant say:

“This is not a technical trade-mark case. The bill is filed for the purpose of restraining the defendant from engaging in acts of unfair competition and particularly from appropriating or attempting to appropriate to itself a valuable good will which belongs to the complainant. * * *
“The proofs in the case clearly establish priority of adoption of the name * Bitulithic ’ by the complainant, and its application to a street pavement of its own manufacture, and that this form of street pavement has never been manufactured or constructed until the complainant and its predecessors began to build it, nor had the name ‘ Bitulithic ’ ever been used to designate a street pavement until coined by the complainant for the purpose of designating its own particular pavement. The proofs also clearly establish the fact • that whatever good will the Bitulithic pavement has acquired has been due solely to the complainant’s efforts, and that these efforts have been very extensive and costly, and that they have been successful in fact in building up a great reputation for the Bitulithic pavement, by virtue of which it must be concluded that the good will attaching is a property right of great value owned exclusively by the complainant.”

And it is said defendant seeks to take advantage of this situation by unlawfully offering to sell and build the pavement. Many authorities are cited which counsel contend support their theory.

The position of defendant, briefly stated, is:

_ “ That the department of public works advertised for bids for pavements on Canfield and other avenues in the city of Detroit; that while the pavement desired was designated as ‘ Bitulithic Macadam, ’ it required the pavement to be constructed according to specifications theretofore adopted by the common council, which specifications [83]*83designated the material, the method of construction and character of the work required.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
108 N.W. 652, 145 Mich. 79, 1906 Mich. LEXIS 732, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/warren-bros-v-barber-asphalt-paving-co-mich-1906.