Woodcock v. Guy

74 P. 358, 33 Wash. 234, 1903 Wash. LEXIS 513
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 16, 1903
DocketNo. 4559
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 74 P. 358 (Woodcock v. Guy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woodcock v. Guy, 74 P. 358, 33 Wash. 234, 1903 Wash. LEXIS 513 (Wash. 1903).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

Appellant, W. H. Woodcock, commenced this action in the superior court of King county against respondent, G. O. Guy, praying injunctive relief against the infringement of an alleged trade-mark hy respondent,, and for an accounting of profits. The respondent interposed a general demurrer to the complaint, which was sustained hy the trial court. The appellant elected to stand on his pleading, and the court dismissed the action with costs against appellant, who appeals to- this court. There is hut one assignment of error—that “the court erred in sustaining the demurrer.” Omitting name of court and title of cause, the complaint is as follows:

“The plaintiff complains and alleges: (1) That more than' twenty years ago the plaintiff coined and adopted the word 'Gargline’ as a symbol and trade-mark for a medicinal preparation devised and compounded hy him as a remedy for sore throat, tonsilitis and other affections of the mouth, gums and throat. (2) That for more than twenty years last past the plaintiff has constantly used, and still uses, said coined word 'Gargline’ to distinguish and identify his said medical preparation. (3) That; through all the years since said coining and adopting of said trademark, the plaintiff has expended money in advertising the [238]*238medicinal remedy designated thereby, and has used various other means to make the merits thereof known to the public. (4) That, as a result of said advertising and other efforts by the plaintiff, his said medicinal preparation has become extensively and favorably known to the public under the name of said coined word ‘Gargline,’ securing to the plaintiff a large sale thereof. (5) That some time about two years ago, in the city of Seattle, the defendant began using the word ‘Gargeline’ to designate a medicinal preparation compounded and sold by him designed and alleged to be a remedy for the same ailments for which plaintiff’s ‘Gargline’ is and has long been known as an effective remedy. (6) That as soon as plaintiff learned of the defendant’s said use of the word ‘Gargeline,’ plaintiff procured his lawyers to write a letter to defendant notifying him of plaintiff’s trade-mark in the word ‘Gargline’ and requested him to discontinue using the word ‘Gargeline’ on the ground that it infringed plaintiff’s said trade-mark. (7) That immediately thereafter defendant ceased to exhibit conspicuously in his place of business in Seattle bottles containing his said medicinal preparation designated ‘Gargeline,’ and plaintiff was thereby led to believe, and did believe, that defendant had heeded said notice written him by plaintiff’s lawyers and had ceased using said word ‘Gargeline’ to designate a medicinal preparation compounded by him. (8) That plaintiff has recently learned that defendant is still selling his said medicinal preparation under the designation ‘Gargeline.’ (9) That defendant’s said use of the word ‘Gargeline’ is an infringement of plaintiff’s trade-mark in the word ‘Gargline.’
“Wherefore plaintiff prays for a decree of this court enjoining and restraining the defendant from using the word ‘Gargeline’ to designate a medicinal preparation, ordering the defendant to account for all profits made by him from the sale of a medicinal preparation designated ‘Gargeline,’ and for judgment in favor of plaintiff and against the defendant for the amount of such profits and the plaintiff’s costs of this action.”

[239]*239There is no averment in the complaint that the appellant at any time procured his alleged trade-mark to he registered in accordance with our statutory provisions. Bal. Code, § 3621, at seq. Therefore, the sufficiency of the complaint must be tested by the rules of the common law and the principles governing equitable relief in such cases. The right of the proprietor of a trade-mark to its exclusive use has long been recognized by the courts of England and the United States. Shaver v. Shaver, 54 Iowa 208, 6 N. W. 188, 37 Am. Rep. 194. The general rule adopted by the courts on this subject is, that state statutes providing for registration of trade-marks are in affirmance of the common law; that the remedies given by such statutes are either declaratory of, or are cumulative and additional to, those recognized and applied by the common law. Derringer v. Plate, 29 Cal. 292, 87 Am. Dec. 170; Trade-Mark Cases, 100 U. S. 82, 25 L. Ed. 550; 21 Enc. of Plead. & Prac. 752, 753.

The rule with reference to the granting of injunctive relief for the protection of trade-marks is thus expressed by a learned author:

“The jurisdiction rests upon fraud on the part of defendant, and upon the principle that equity will not allow one to sell his own goods under the pretense that they are the goods of another.” High on Injunctions, § 1068 (3d ed.).

In McLean v. Fleming, 96 U. S. 245, 24 L. Ed. 828, the principle is stated in this language: “Hor is it necessary, in order to give a right to an injunction, that a specific trade-mark should be infringed; but it is sufficient that the court is satisfied that there was an intent on the part of the respondent to palm off his goods as the goods of the complainant, and that he persists in so doing after being requested to desist.” This proposition of law is [240]*240quoted -with, approval by Browne, Trade-Marks (2d ed.), § 43. McLean v. Fleming, supra, is also authority on the proposition that a party may have the right to use his own name as a trade-mark as against a trader or dealer oí a different name; but, according to the weight of authority,.

“Such a party is not, in general, entitled to the exclusive use of a name, merely as such, without more. . . . Ror will any other name, merely as such, confer any such exclusive right, unless the name is. printed in some particular manner in a label of some peculiar characteristics, so that it becomes to some extent identified with a particular kind of goods, or when the name is used by the party, in connection with his place of business, in such a manner that it assumes the character- of a trade-mark within the legal meaning of that term, and as such entitles the party to the protection of a court of equity, to prevent others from infringing the proprietor’s exclusive right.”

See, also, Coats v. Merrick Thread Company, 149 U. S. 562, 13 Sup. Ct. 966, 37 L. Ed. 847. “The general rule is against the appropriating mere words as a trade-mark.” Hygeia Distilled Water Co. v. Hygeia Ice Co., 72 Conn. 646, 45 Atl. 957, 49 L. R. A. 147, and authorities cited; Caswell v. Davis, 58 N. Y. 223, 17 Am. Rep. 233.

Appellant contends that it was not necessary for him to allege fraud against respondent in the appropriation of his trade-mark. In support of his contentions on various phases of his case he has cited Hier v. Abrahams, 82 N. Y. 519, 37 Am. Rep. 589, in his printed brief, several times. That action was brought to restrain defendants; from infringing upon plaintiffs’ alleged right to use the-word “Pride” as a trade-mark, and for damages, etc. It does not appear whether the plaintiffs had registered their trade-mark. The trial court found as facts: that the defendants, well knowing the prior adoption of plaintiffs’ [241]

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Bluebook (online)
74 P. 358, 33 Wash. 234, 1903 Wash. LEXIS 513, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woodcock-v-guy-wash-1903.