Perry Viscounty, Partner Latham

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Perry Viscounty, PartnerLatham Watkins650
Town Center Drive, 20th FloorCosta Mesa, CA
92626714-755-8288perry.viscounty_at_lw.com

• Current Intellectual Property Issues
• How to Effectively Analyze a Trademark Search
  Report
• 11th Annual Educational Forum Series September
  14, 2000

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Key Questions

• All versions of the mark
• All goods and services now and in the future
• Who created the mark
• How was it created
• What does it mean
• Why did you chose this mark
• When was it created
• Date of first use
• Who are your competitors

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Key Questions, cont.

• Are you aware of any similar marks
• Do you have any samples or drawings
• Do you want an oral or written opinion
• When do you need our opinion
• Where do you plan to manufacture, distribute,
  advertise and sell the product
• What is the expected price of this product or
  service

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Key Questions, cont.

• How do you plan to market this product or service
• Do you plan to expand the use of this mark to
  other products or services

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Five Classes of Trademarks

• Fanciful (e.g. KODAK film)
• Arbitrary (e.g. APPLE computers)
• Suggestive (e.g. COPPERTONE suntan lotion)
• Descriptive (e.g. FOOD FAIR supermarkets)
• Generic (e.g. ESCALATOR, ASPIRIN)

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Eight Factors For Determining Likelihood of
Confusion for Trademark Infringement Claim

• Strength of mark
• Proximity of goods
• Similarity between marks (sight, sound and
  meaning)
• Evidence of actual confusion
• Marketing Channels used
• Type of good degree of care by purchaser
• Likelihood of expansion of product line
• Intent in selecting mark

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Keep in Mind

• Do not disregard abandoned or cancelled marks
• Do not ignore registrations on the Supplemental
  Register because the mark may have acquired
  secondary meaning

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Other Factors to Consider

• Future federal applications under Section 44 may
  claim earlier rights to the mark at least six
  months prior to the actual filing date
• Individual state databases do not contain pending
  applications, fictitious name registrations or
  corporate name reservations

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Claim Trademark Infringement

• 15 U.S.C. 1114 (Fed. Registered), 15 U.S.C
  1125(a) (not registered)
• State law for state registered or common law mark
  (i.e. CA Bus. Prof. Code 14320)
• Infringement unauthorized use of mark on goods
  or services likely to cause confusion by consumers

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Defense to Infringement

• Prior rights and concurrent use
• No likelihood of confusion
• Invalidity - fraud
• Generic, Merely Descriptive
• Fair Use
• Laches, acquiescence, estoppel
• Abandonment
• Unclean hands
• First Amendment

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Claim Dilution

• Federal Trademark Dilution Act. 15 U.S.C.
  1125(c)-doesnt preempt state
• State i.e. CA Bus. Prof. Code 14330
• Strong, distinctive (famous) mark
• lessening of capacity by blurring of tarnishing
  reputation
• Predatory intent
• Doesnt require likelihood of confusion

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Factors to determine if a mark is famous - 15
U.S.C. 1125(c)(1)

• Distinctiveness
• duration and extent of use, advertising, and
  publicity of the mark
• geographic extent of use
• channels of trade
• degree of recognition in areas of use
• use of similar/same marks by third parties
• registered

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Defenses to Dilution

• Federally registered before filing of federal
  claim
• Mark not famous or distinctive, adopted before
  famous
• fair use
• noncommercial use

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Claim Unfair Competition

• Federal Claim False, deceptive, or misleading
  act that is likely to cause confusion as to the
  origin of goods or services which causes damages.
  15 U.S.C. 1125(a)
• Common law assert manner substance of act
  damages
• State CA Bus. Prof. Code 17200 et seq.

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Claim Anti-Cybersquatting Act

• 15 U.S.C. 1125(d)
• Elements
• mark is distinctive
• domain name is identical or confusing similar
• registrant acted with a bad faith intent to
  profit from the domain name
• Registration of name alone generally does not
  constitute infringement or dilution
• Uniform domain name dispute resolution policy
  (UDRP)

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Sections of Search Report

• Analysts Review
• Federal Search Results
• Shepards Citations
• State Search Results
• Common Law Search Results
• Domain Name Registrations
• Reported Owner Index

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Aggressive Senior User

• H-D Michigan (Harley-Davidson)
• Represented by in-house IP counsel
• Pending Application - SCREAMIN EAGLE CHILI for
  goods in Class 29.
• Registered - SCREAMIN EAGLE for goods in Classes
  4, 7, 9, 11 12.
• Opposed - SCREAMING EAGLE by Boutique Unisexe El
  Baraka, Inc. for goods in Classes 14, 16, 18, 21
  25.
• Petition to Cancel - SCREAMING EAGLE by Boutique
  Unisexe El Baraka, Inc. for goods in Classes 21
  25.
• Petition to Cancel - SCREAMIN EAGLE by Boutique
  Unisexe El Baraka, Inc. for goods in Classes 18,
  25 26.

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Additional Tools to Research Owners of Cited
Marks

• Internet
• Telephone directories
• Trade journals
• Periodical databases
• Visit retail stores
• Private investigators

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Perry Viscounty, PartnerLatham Watkins650
Town Center Drive, 20th FloorCosta Mesa, CA
92626714-755-8288perry.viscounty_at_lw.com

• Current Intellectual Property Issues
• How to Effectively Analyze a Trademark Search
  Report
• 11th Annual Educational Forum Series September
  14, 2000