Summary Cancellation Proceedings: Intention to Resume Use of Trade-Mark Must Be Present During the Relevant Period


SUMMARYCANCELLATIONPROCEEDINGS:INTENTIONTORESUMEUSEOF
TRADE-MARKMUSTBEPRESENTDURINGTHERELEVANTPERIOD

By
StellaSyrianos*
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
Trade-marksSeniorHearingOfficer,D.Savard,renderedadecision
addressingissuesofestablishingbothuseandjustifyingnon-usewithinthe
relevanttimeframeinasummarycancellationproceedingtakenunder
Section45oftheTrade-marksAct.Itwasheldthatatrade-markowner’s
intentiontoresumeusemustexistduringtherelevantperiod(Manufacturier
deBasdeNylonDorisLtéevs.CanadianSportsfishingProductions,(2002)16
C.P.R.(4
th)410.
TheFacts
AttherequestofManufacturierdeBasdeNylonDorisLtée,theRegistrarof
Trade-marksissuedanoticeunderSection45oftheTrade-marksActonJuly
7
th,1999,toCanadianSportsfishingProductions(hereinafter“Owner”),the
registeredownerofthetrade-markSECRETSTRATEGIES.
ThemarkSECRETSTRATEGIESwasregisteredinassociationwith“hatsandt-
shirts,sew-onpatches,decals,videosandeducationalservices,namelythe
promotionandstagingoflivedemonstrationalshowsandseminarsrelatingto
angling”.
TheOwnerwastheassigneeofthetrade-markSECRETSTRATEGIESbywayof
aconfirmatoryassignmenteffectiveNovember30
th,1993.Thisassignment
wasofficiallyrecordedonthetrade-markregisteronFebruary2
nd,2000.
TheOwnerfiledaffidavitevidencewithsupportingexhibits,bothpartiesfiled
writtenargumentsbutnooralhearingwasconducted.

©LEGERROBICRICHARD,2002.*OftheLawfirmLEGERROBICRICHARD,g.p.andthePatentandTrademarkAgencyFirmROBIC,
g.p.Publication142.139.


TheRegistrar’sDecision
(i)Useinassociationwithvideos
Inthecaseatbar,therelevantperiodofusewasbetweenJuly7
th,1994and
July7
th,1999.SeniorHearingOfficerD.SavardheldthattheOwner
established,initsaffidavitevidencethatuse,inCanada,ofthetrade-mark
SECRETSTRATEGIES,inassociationwithvideos,occurredinMay1999when
3360fishingadviceandinstructionsvideocassettesbearingthetrade-mark
SECRETSTRATEGIESwereplacedontheshelvesof70WAL-MARTstoresacross
Canada.
TheOwneralsoindicatedthatanothersupplyofvideocassettesbearingthe
trade-markSECRETSTRATEGIESwasdeliveredtoWAL-MARTstoresinmid-
December1999andthatithadreceivedanotherorderfromWAL-MARTfor
deliveryinMay2000.Insupportofthesefactualallegations,noinvoiceswere
provided,buttheOwnersubmittedpartoftheseriesofthevideocassettes
bearingthetrade-markSECRETSTRATEGIESasanexhibit.
ItisworthnotingthattheSeniorHearingOfficerdecidedthatsinceno
particularkindofevidenceisrequired,thelackofinvoiceswasnot
presumptivewhereclearstatementsoffactsshowinguseareprovided.These
wareswerethereforemaintainedontheregister.
Itwasalsoheldthatwhileevidenceoutsidetherelevantperiodisnot
required,transactionsafterthenoticedateareadmissibleinsofarasthey
provecontinuityofuseandservetorebutanyallegationsofrecent
fabricationortokenuse.
(ii)useinassociationwiththeremainingwares
TheOwnerclearlystatedthatitdidnotsellordistributehats,t-shirts,sew-on
patchesanddecalsduringtherelevantperiod.TheSeniorHearingOfficer
thereforeheldthatthesewaresweretobedeletedfromtheregistersinceno
specialcircumstancesexcusingnon-usewereshown.
(iii)useinassociationwithseminars
TheOwnerallegedinitsaffidavitthatthroughouttherelevantperiod,he
continuedtoholdseminarsrelatingtoangling,inassociationwiththetrade-


markSECRETSTRATEGIESthreetofourtimesayearduringspringandsummer
atmostofitscorporatefishingtripsitconductedforitscorporateclients.
BytakingintoaccounttheOwner’sevidenceasawhole,SeniorHearing
OfficerD.Savardinferredthatthetrade-markwasprobablyusedordisplayed
intheadvertisementorperformanceoftheseseminars.Theseserviceswere
thereforemaintainedontheregister.
(iii)useinassociationwiththepromotionandstagingoflive
demonstrationalshows
TheOwnerclearlystatedinitsaffidavitthatthelasteventwasstagedon
March28
th,1996,shortlypriortotherelevantperiod.TheSeniorHearing
Officerwasthereforefacedwiththeissueofwhethertherewerespecial
circumstancesthatmayhaveexcusedtheabsenceofuseofthetrade-mark
SECRETSTRATEGIESsincethatdate.
Specialcircumstancesjustifyingnon-use
BasedontheevidencebeforetheSeniorHearingOfficer,itwasdecidedthat
theliveshowsweretemporarilyshelveduntiltheirformatwasrevamped,until
amoreeffectiveadvertisingcampaignwasdevelopedanduntilasuitable
sponsorwasrecruitedsincethemainsponsoroftheeventabruptlyended
withthelastshowinMarch1996.
However,theOwnerindicatedthatithadplanstocontinuewiththelive
showsintheyear2000,thateffortstorevamptheformatoftheshow,develop
anadvertisingcampaignandrecruitasuitablesponsorwereunderway.The
Owneralsostatedthatintheyear2000,itwouldbecomingoutwithabook
offishingadviceandinstructionsinassociationwiththetrade-markSECRET
STRATEGIESaswellsellmorevideocassettes.Finally,withalltheseactivities,
theOwnerstatedthatitplannedtoreintroduceanewsupplyof
merchandise.
InconsideringthisevidenceoftheOwner’sintentions,theSeniorHearing
Officerheldthatmereallegationsastoitsintentionstoresumeuseofitstrade-
markwereinsufficient.Itwasdecidedthatnoinferencescouldbedrawn
fromtheseallegationswhenitwasnotestablished,bydocumentary
evidence,thateffortstorevivetheuseofthetrade-markSECRETSTRATEGIES
weretakenpriortothedateoftheNotice,inthiscase,July7
th,1999.Inthe
absenceofsuchevidence,itwasheldthattheabsenceofusewasnotdue
tospecialcircumstancesexcusingnon-use.Theservicesforthepromotion


andstagingoflivedemonstrationalshowswerethereforedeletedfromthe
register.
Conclusion
Aswehaveseen,alackofinvoicesassupportingdocumentaryevidenceof
useofatrade-markinassociationwithwaresisnotdetrimentalwhencoupled
withclearstatementsoffactsshowinguseofatrade-mark.However,such
clearstatementsmustalsobemadewhenjustifyingnon-useofatrade-mark
asitmustbeshownthatatrade-markowner’sintentiontoresumeuseofits
trade-markexistedduringtherelevantperiodandnotmerelyafterreceiving
theNotice.
Moreover,providingdocumentaryevidenceinordertolendsubstanceto
assertionsthateffortshavebeenexpendedtoresumeuseshouldalsobea
considerationwhenpreparingsuchevidenceinsummarycancellation
proceedings.Finally,evidenceofuseoutsidetherelevantperiodshouldalso
beconsideredwhenfacedwiththepossibilityofallegationsbythe
RequestingPartyofrecentfabricationortokenuse.
NotpublishedintheWIPR
©LEGERROBICRICHARD,2002.



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