MACDIMSUM Trade-mark Found not Registrable Further to Restaurant Giant McDonald’s Opposition

2012-10-10

MACDIMSUMTRADE-MARKFOUNDNOTREGISTRABLE
FURTHERTORESTAURANTGIANTMcDONALD’SOPPOSITION

BARRYGAMACHE*
ROBIC,
LLP
L
AWYERS,PATENT&TRADEMARKAGENTS

ArecentdecisionbytheOppositionBoardofCanada’sTrade-marksOfficehas
dismissedanapplicationfiledbyMr.TongG.Cheahforthetrade-mark
MACDIMSUMfurthertotheoppositionbroughtbyMcDonald’sCorporationand
McDonald’sRestaurantsofCanadaLimitedonthebasisofallegedconfusionwith
variousregisteredtrade-marksownedbyMcDonald’sCorporationthathaveaMCor
MACprefix.Inhisdecision,HearingOfficerHerzigexaminedMr.Cheah’schoiceof
associatingtheprefixMACwiththeexpressionDIMSUManditslikelyaffecton
consumerswhohadanimperfectrecollectionofMcDonald’sCorporation’strade-
marks(McDonald’sCorporationandMcDonald’sRestaurantsofCanadaLimitedv.
Cheah,2012TMOB138(T.M.O.B.),MyerHerzig,July26,2012;decisionreleased
August1,2012).
OnFebruary12,2007,inaccordancewithCanada’sTrade-marksAct,R.S.C.1985,
c.T-13(hereafterthe“Act”),TongG.Cheah(hereafter“Mr.Cheah”)filedan
applicationtoregisterinCanadathetrade-markMACDIMSUMinassociationwitha
longlistoffoodproducts(forexample,[f]oodanddrinksnamelySteamedChicken
BunswithMushrooms,SteamedBBQPorkBuns,SteamedCustardDuckEggBuns,
PorkDumplings(ShiuMai),MincedPorkinBean-StickRollswithOysterSauce,Meat
andShrimpDumpling“ChiuChowStyle”,FiletwithKingOysterMushrooms,Bamboo
FunguswithMixedMushroomsDumplings,ShrimpDumplings(HarGow),Seafood
Dumplings,StickyRiceinLotusLeaves,SteamedMixedBeefBallswithBeanSticks,
SpareribsinBlackBeanSauce,Chickens’FeetinChef’sSauceandothersimilar
products)onthebasisofproposeduseofthetrade-markwiththosewaresin
Canada.
Mr.Cheah’sMACDIMSUMtrade-markappearstosuggesttraditionalChinesecuisine
knownasdimsuminwhichsmallportionsofavarietyoffoodsareservedin
succession(accordingtothedefinitionof“dimsum”foundintheFreeOnline
Dictionaryatwww.thefreedictionary.com,consultedonSeptember25,2012).Mr.
Cheah’sMACDIMSUMapplicationwaspublishedforoppositionpurposesonMarch
5,2008andonMay5,2008,McDonald’sCorporation(hereafter“McDonald’s”)and
McDonald’sRestaurantsofCanadaLimited(hereafter“McDonald’sCanada”)fileda
statementofoppositionraisingvariousgroundsofoppositionhavingincommonthe

©CIPS,2012.*BarryGamacheisamemberofROBIC,LLP,afirmoflawyers,patentandtrademarkagents.
PublishedintheNovember2012issueofWorldIntellectualPropertyLawReport.Publication142.269.

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issueofallegedconfusionbetweenMr.Cheah’strad
e-markandvarioustrade-marks
ownedbyMcDonald’s.
Essentially,McDonald’sarguedthatitownsinCanadaafamilyoftrade-marksthat
beginwiththeprefixMCortheprefixMACcombinedorassociatedwithawordthat
usuallyindicatesafoodproduct.Thisfamilyoftrade-marksincludesMCDONALD’S
forvariousfoodproductsandrestaurantservices;MACSUNDAEforsundaes;
MCCHICKENforcookedanduncookedfreshchicken;MCMUFFINforabreakfast
foodcombinationsandwich;MCNUTfornutsandMACFRIESforFrenchfried
potatoes.Thisfamilyalsoincludesthetrade-markBIGMACforaready-to-eat
hamburgersandwich(althoughinthecaseofBIGMAC,theMACcomponentisnot
usedasaprefix)andotherssuchasMCNUGGETSandMCFLURRY.

Insupportoftheirgroundsofoppositionallegingconfusion,McDonald’sand
McDonald’sCanada(the“Opponents”)filedevidenceestablishing,forexample,that
annualsalesinCanadaofMCNUGGETSproductsexceeded,onaverage,
120,000,000$CDNfortheperiod2003-2008;annualsalesinCanadaofMCMUFFIN
productsexceeded,onaverage,$100,000,000forthesameperiodwhileannual
salesinCanadaofMCCHICKENsandwichesexceeded,onaverage,$75,000,000
CDN,alsoforthesameperiod.Theevidencealsoestablishedextensiveadvertising
ofMcDonald’swaresandservicesinvariousmedia.McDonald’sadvertisingmade
referencetoitsvariousmarksincludingMCCHICKEN,CHICKENMCGRILL,
CHICKENMCNUGGETS,MCVEGGIEBURGER,MCCAFE,EGGMCMUFFIN,
MCGRIDDLESandMCFLURRY.Amongtheirvariousproductsandservices,the
OpponentsalsosoldAsian-themedfoodproductsinCanadasuchasSzechwan
dippingsaucethataccompaniesCHICKENMCNUGGETSproducts.Theselastsales
weremadeasearlyas1987.
TheOpponentsalsofiledasurveythatwasconductedinashoppingmall
environment“intendedtodeterminewhetherconsumerswouldidentifyaparticular
individual,businessorcompanyasthesourceofproductslisted”intheapplication
filedbyMr.Cheah.Accordingtothesurveyresults,29%ofrespondents(outof101)
repliedthattheybelieved“McDonald’smanufacturesorsellsMACDIMSUMfood
products”.Thatgroupof29%pointedtotheMACprefixintheMACDIMSUMtrade-
markasthemainreasonfortheiranswer.
Forhispart,Mr.CheahexplainedthattheMACcomponentofhistrade-markalluded
to“Malaysian/Asian/ChineseDimSum”.However,HearingOfficerHerzignotedthat
noevidencewasprovidedinsupportofMr.Cheah’sassertionthatthismeaningwas
somehowclearforconsumers.
Inhisdecision,HearingOfficerHerzignotedthattheconfusionthatistheAct’smain
concernisnotconfusionofthemarksthemselvesbutratherthemistakeninference
thatwouldoccurifgoodsorservicesfromonesourceareconsideredasbeinggoods
andservicesfromanothersource.

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Underthecircumstances,didMr.Cheahsatisfyhis
onusofestablishingtheabsence
oflikelihoodofconfusionbetweenhistrade-markMACDIMSUMandtheOpponents’
varioustrade-marks?HearingOfficerHerzigconcentratedontheOpponents’
MCDONALD’Strade-mark.Hewrotethatitiswell-known,ifnotfamous,inCanadain
associationwithrestaurantfoodandservices;ontheotherhand,noreputationwas
associatedwiththeMACDIMSUMtrade-mark.Additionally,allparties’markshave
prefixesthatareeitherMCorMAC(bothconsideredphoneticequivalentsbyHearing
OfficerHerzig).Moreover,theOpponentshaveusedinCanada,astheyalleged,
membersoftheirfamilyoftrade-marksthathaveaMCorMACcomponentforfood
products.
Afterreviewoftheevidence,HearingOfficerHerzigconcludedthatMr.Cheahdidnot
satisfyhisonusofestablishingtheabsenceoflikelihoodofconfusionandhisapplied
fortrade-markMACDIMSUMwasfoundtobeunregistrable.

Thiscaseisareminderthatcareshouldbetakenwhenchoosingatrade-markthat
couldsuggestalinktoawell-knowntrade-markbecauseofacommoncomponent.
Fortheownerofafamoustrade-mark,thepresenceofafamilyoftrade-marks,all
havingasamecommonelement,iscertainlyanimportantassetwhenitcomesto
challenginganewcomer’sadoptionofatrade-markhavingasimilarcomponentinthe
sameareaoftrade.

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