A Trade-Mark Owner is Entitled to File New Evidence of Use on Appeal
A
TRADE-MARKOWNERISENTITLEDTOFILENEWEVIDENCEOFUSEON
APPEAL
MARCELNAUD*
LEGERROBICRICHARD
,L.L.P.
L
AWYERS,PATENTANDTRADEMARKAGENTS
BaxterInternationalInc.v.P.T.KalbeFarmaTBK.,2007FC439(CanLII)
Inajudgmentrenderedon2007-04-30,theFederalCourtofCanadafoundthatit
shouldconsiderandacceptnewevidenceofuseofatrade-markinanappealofa
decisionoftheRegistrarofTrade-marksorderingthatsuchtrade-markbeexpunged
fromtheRegister.
Thisfindinghasbeenmadedespitethat(1)thetrade-markowner,Baxter
InternationalInc.(“Baxter”),hasnotrespondedtotheRegistrar’snoticerequiring
evidencethatthetrade-markwasusedinCanadawithinthelastthreeyearsand(2)
theRegistrar’snoticewassenttothecorrectaddressofBaxterandtoBaxter’s
representativeofservice.
***
Thetrade-markRENAMINwasregisteredon1993-02-19inassociationwith
nutritional,enteralandparenteralaminoacidsolutionsforhumanuse.
On2005-11-04,uponrequestfromtheRespondent,P.T.KalbeFarmaTBK.,the
RegistrarsentanoticetoBaxtertorequireevidencethatitstrade-markRENAMIN
wasusedinCanadawithinthelastthreeyears.Pursuanttotherequirementsofthe
law,failuretoprovidesuchevidencewouldleadtotheexpungementofthetrade-
markfromtheRegister.
BaxterallegesthatithasnotreceivedtheRegistrar’snotice.Accordinglyithasnot
providedanyevidenceofuseofitstrade-marktotheRegistrar.However,the
Registrar’snoticewassenttothecorrectaddressofBaxterandtoBaxter’s
representativeofservice.
©CIPS,2007.*Lawyer,MarcelNaudisamemberofLEGERROBICRICHARD,L.L.P.,amultidisciplinary
firmoflawyers,andpatentandtrademarkagents.Publication293.041
2
ArighttoappealadecisionoftheRegistrarisfoundinsection56oftheTrade-
marksAct(R.S.,1985,c.T-13).Subsection56(5)providesthatevidenceinaddition
tothatadducedbeforetheRegistrarmaybeadducedonanappealandtheCourt
mayexerciseanydiscretionvestedintheRegistrar.
TheCourtinthiscase,basedonapriordecisionoftheFederalCourtofAppealthat
rejectedanargumentthat“thewords“inadditionto”insubsection56(5)indicated
thatatrade-markownercouldonlyfileevidencebeforetheFederalCourtifthere
wasevidencebeforetheRegistrartowhichfurtherevidencecouldbeadded”,found
thatitmayaccepttheBaxter’snewevidenceofuse.
Pursuanttothatsamepriordecision,theCourtalsofoundthatitshouldacceptthe
newevidencebecausethatwouldotherwiseamounttoaninterpretationofsection
56whosepracticaleffectwouldbetodepriveBaxterofameaningfulrightofappeal.
Onappeal,BaxterfiledanaffidavittheManagerofMarketingOperationsofits
CanadianoperatingsubsidiarythatcontainedstatementsthatBaxterhasusedthe
trade-markRENAMINinCanadacontinuouslysince1997,alongwithtwoexhibits:a
sampleofproductpackagingandinvoicesfortherelevantperiodwherethetrade-
markRENAMINappearedlistedasaproductname.
SincetheCourtfoundthatsuchevidenceestablishedthatthetrade-markRENAMIN
hasbeenusedinCanadawithintherelevantperiod,theCourtorderedthatthe
Registrar’sdecisiontoexpungethetrade-markbesetaside.
3
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fieldsofintellectualproperty:patents,industrialdesignsandutilitypatents;
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COPYRIGHTER
IDEASLIVEHERE
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LEGERROBICRICHARD
NOSFENÊTRESGRANDESOUVERTESSURLEMONDEDESAFFAIRES
PATENTER
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THETRADEMARKERGROUP
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