1
MISUNDERSTANDINGOFALEGALREQUIREMENTCANCONSTITUTEEXCUSABLE
NON-USE,FEDERALCOURTOFCANADARULES
By
StellaSyrianos*
LEGERROBICRICHARD
,L.L.P.
Lawyers,PatentandTrademarkAgents
CentreCDPCapital
1001Square-Victoria–BlocE–8thFloor
Montreal,Quebec,CanadaH2Z2B7
Tel.(514)9876242–Fax(514)8457874
www.robic.ca–info@robic.com
Inaninterestingdecisionregardingevidenceofuseduringsummary
expungementproceedingsundersection45oftheTrade-marksAct,R.S.C.
1985,c.T-13(hereafter:the”Act”),theFederalCourtofCanadaupheldthe
Registrar’sdecisiontomaintaintheRegistrant’strade-markSTALINSKAYAin
associationwithvodka,afterconcludingthattheRegistranthadmetthetest
forexcusablenon-useofatrade-mark(SpiritsInternationalN.V.v.The
RegistrarofTrade-marksandSCProdal94SRL,2006FC520(FC,Mosley,J.,
April26
th,2006)).
Section45istheAct©s”useitorloseit”provisionwhichpermitstheRegistrarof
Trade-markstoexpungetrade-markregistrationswhicharenotinusebyway
ofanadministrativeproceeding.Followingarequestmadebyanythird
party,theRegistrarwillissueanoticerequiringthatanownershowuseofits
registeredtrade-markorjustifyitsnon-use,failingwhichsuchmarkwillbe
expunged.
Therespondentintheseproceedings,SCProdal94SRL(hereinafter:”SCP”),is
aRomaniancompanywhichappliedtoregisterthetrade-markSTALINSKAYA
onMarch27,1997inassociationwithvodka,basedonuseandregistrationof
thismarkinitscountryoforigin,Romania.Thetrade-markwasregistered
underTMA501,347onSeptember28,1998.
TheSection45proceeding