Non Profit Religious Organization not a “Public Authority” Under Section 9 of Canada’s Trade-Marks Act Federal Court Rules


NONPROFITRELIGIOUSORGANIZATIONNOTA“PUBLICAUTHORITY”UNDER
SECTION9OFCANADA’STRADE-MARKSACT,
FEDERALCOURTRULES

By
BarryGamache*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,Lawyers
ROBIC,Patent&TrademarkAgents
CentreCDPCapital
1001Square-Victoria-BlocE–8
thFloor
Montreal,Quebec,CanadaH2Z2B7
Tel.:(514)9876242-Fax:(514)8457874
www.robic.ca-info@robic.com
ArecentjudgmentoftheTrialDivisionoftheFederalCourtofCanada
quashedadecisionoftheRegistrarofTrade-marksgivingpublicnoticeofan
officialmarkdescribedasa“MenorahDesign”byareligiousorganization
underSection9ofCanada’sTrade-marksAct,R.S.C.1985,c.T-13(Canadian
JewishCongressv.ChosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.,2002F.C.T.613(May28,
2002,Blais,J.)).
Theapplicant,theCanadianJewishCongress,appliedforjudicialreview
pursuanttosubsection18.1(1)oftheFederalCourtAct,R.S.C.1985,c.F-7,of
adecisionbytheRegistrarofTrade-marksdatedNovember3,1999giving
publicnoticepursuanttosubparagraph9(1)(n)(iii)oftheTrade-marksActof
theadoptionandusebytherespondentChosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.ofthe
markidentifiedasa“MenorahDesign”,arepresentationofastylized
menorahi.e.aseven-branchedcandelabrum.
ThisdecisionbytheRegistrarfollowedarequestmadeonDecember31,1997
byChosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.totheRegistrarthatitgivepublicnotice
undersubparagraph9(1)(n)(iii)oftheTrade-marksActofitsadoptionanduse
ofthe“MenorahDesign”asitsofficialmark.ChosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.
canbedescribedasanonprofitChristianorganizationoriginatingfromthe
UnitedStates.Themissionofthis“MessianicJewish”religiousorganizationisto
spreadthe“GospeloftheLordJesusChristamongtheJewsintheUnited
StatesofAmericaandinallpartsoftheworld”.
Subparagraph9(1)(n)(iii)oftheTrade-marksActisafar-reachingprovision
whichprohibitspersonsfromadoptingtrade-marksthatresemblethose

©LEGERROBICRICHARD,2002.*OftheLawfirmLEGERROBICRICHARD,g.p.andthePatentandTrademarkAgencyFirmROBIC,
g.p.Publication142.142.


previouslyadoptedbypublicauthorities.Itspecificallystatesthatnoperson
shalladoptinconnectionwithabusiness,asatrade-markorotherwise,any
markconsistingoforsonearlyresemblingastobelikelytobemistakenfor
(…)anybadge,crest,emblemormark(…)adoptedandusedbyanypublic
authority,inCanadaasanofficialmarkforwaresorservices,inrespectof
whichtheRegistrarhas,attherequestof(…)[a]publicauthority,(…)given
publicnoticeofitsadoptionanduse(…).
TheRegistrarinitiallyrefusedChosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.’sapplicationforits
officialmark;however,onNovember3,1999,itreverseditspositionandgave
publicnoticeintheCanadianTrade-marksJournalthatthe“Menorah
Design”wasanofficialmarkofChosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.AsofNovember
3,1999,ChosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.couldthereforeclaimalltherightsand
enforcealltheprohibitionsavailabletoitunderSection9.
AstheTrade-marksActdoesnotprovideamechanismtochallengeany
Registrar’sdecisiontogivepublicnoticeofanofficialmark,theCanadian
JewishCongressappliedforrelieftotheFederalCourtagainsttheNovember
3,1999decision.TheCanadianJewishCongressaims“todevelopthehighest
standardsofparticipation”inthedemocraticprocessbytheCanadian
JewishCommunitybyencouraging,carryingonandparticipatinginactivities
ofanational,culturalandhumanitariannature,amongotherthings.Assuch,
theCanadianJewishCongressconsidereditwouldbedirectlyaffectedby
theRegistrar’sdecisionandprejudicedbyitinthatitwouldbeunfairto
prohibitanyotherJewishorganizationfromusingamarkincorporatinga
menorah.
AccordingtoSection9,anofficialmarkcanonlybeadoptedandusedbya
“publicauthority”.Underthecircumstances,theCanadianJewishCongress
arguedthatChosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.wasnotapublicauthorityand
couldthereforenotclaimthebenefitoftheprovisionsofSection9oftheAct.
TheCourtnotedthattheTrade-marksActdoesnotprovideanydefinitionas
tothemeaningof“publicauthority”andsoitadoptedaplainandordinary
interpretationofsuchwords.TheCourtalsoconsideredcaselawwhich
defineda“publicauthority”asonewhichissubjecttogovernmentcontrol
andhasadutytothepublic:“…toberegardedasapublicauthority,a
bodymustbeunderadutytothepublic,mustbesubjecttoasignificant
degreeofgovernmentcontrolandmustberequiredtodedicateanyprofit
earnedforthebenefitofthepublicandnotforprivatebenefit”(BigSisters
AssociationofOntariov.BigBrothersofCanada(1997)75C.P.R.(3d)177).
TheCourtnotedthatthefactthatchosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.was
incorporatedasanonprofitcorporationwithcharitableobjectsandtax
exemptstatuswasnotsufficientinitselftograntitpublicauthoritystatus.The


factthatallcharitableorganizationsmustcomplywithgovernment
regulationswasnotseenbytheCourtassubjectingtheseorganizationsto
“significant”governmentcontrol.
TheCanadianJewishCongressarguedthatChosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.
hadanovertlyreligiousmissionandthat,assuch,itcouldnotbeconsidered
subjecttogovernmentcontrolasthegovernmentofCanadacannot
interveneinanywaywiththeinternalaffairsofChurches,religiousbodies,or
charitableorganizationsnorcanitdictatehowtheyshouldconducttheir
affairs.
TheCourtthereforeconcludedthatChosenPeopleMinistries,Inc.didnot
qualifyasapublicauthorityandruledthattheRegistrarofTrade-markserred
ingrantingthe“MenorahDesign”asanofficialmark.
Onapracticallevel,theCourtalsonotedthatitwouldbecounterproductive
toprohibitJewishorganizationsandassociationsfromusingandadoptinga
marksuchastheMenorah,sinceithasalwaysbeenhistoricallyassociated
withtheJewishculture.Historicalandreligiousevidencewasputbeforethe
Court:TheMenorahwasdescribed,forexample,asoneofthecommonest
Jewishsymbolsinlateantiquity,bothinIsraelandintheDiaspora.TheCourt
tooktheviewthatsuchasymbolshouldnotbetheobjectofmonopolistic
rightsandsidedwiththeCanadianJewishCongresswhichhadexpressedthe
viewthat,liketheCrucifixintheChristianreligion,theMenorahisnotthe
exclusivepropertyofanyoneorganization,butisratherthesharedsymbolof
Jewishpersonsandorganizationsaroundtheworld.
TheCourt’sdecisioncanbeseenasattemptingtobringsomeorderasto
whocanclaim“publicauthority”statusunderSection9ofCanada’sTrade-
marksAct.Withthisdecision,itmaybemuchmoredifficultforreligious
organizationstoqualifyaspublicauthorities.Religiousbodies,bytheirown
nature,cannotbetheobjectofgovernmentalcontrolastheCanadianState
treatsallreligionsequally,withoutinterferingintheirinternalaffairs,asituation
offactCanada’sSupremeCourtrecognizednearlyhalfacenturyagoin
Chaputv.Romain[1955]S.C.R.834.
Publishedat(2002),16-8W.I.P.R.3-4underthetitleGroupDenied’Public
Authority’StatustoUseMenorahasOfficialMark
©LEGERROBICRICHARD,2002.





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