Vague and Imprecise Affidavit Held Insufficient to Establish Proof of Use in a Summary Expungement Procedure

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VAGUEANDIMPRECISEAFFIDAVITHELDINSUFFICIENTTOESTABLISHPROOFOF
USEINASUMMARYEXPUNGEMENTPROCEDURE

MarcelNaud*
LEGERROBICRICHARD
,L.L.P.
Lawyers,PatentandTrademarkAgents
CentreCDPCapital
1001Square-Victoria-BlocE–8thFloor
Montreal,Quebec,CanadaH2Z2B7
Tel.(514)9876242-Fax(514)8457874
info@robic.com-www.robic.ca
InSmart&Biggarv.Jarawan,2006FC1254(FederalCourt,J.vonFinckenstein),
adecisionrenderedonOctober19,2006,theFederalCourtofCanadaallowed
anappealfromadecisionofaTrade-marksOppositionBoardMember(the
“HearingOfficer”)pursuanttoanexpungementprocedure.
FurthertoanoticesentbytheRegistrarattherequestoftheApplicant(Smart&
Biggar),theRespondents(theregistrantAl-RifaiRoastery(Mahmasat)Inc.andits
presidentFaresJarawan)hadtoshowthatthetrade-markTMA530,273forAL-
RIFAIROASTERY(MAHMASAT)issuedinrespectofcoffeeandroastedor
otherwiseprocessednutswasused,incompliancewiththerequirementsfound
ins.45oftheTrade-marksAct.
OnthebasisoftheaffidavitfiledbytheRespondents,theHearingOfficerheld
thatthetrade-markinquestion“wasinuseinCanadainassociationwitheach
oftheregisteredwaresbymeansofitsdisplayontheirpackagingandthatthe
salesofthesewaresoccurredduringthematerialthreeyearperiod[preceding
thedateofthenotice]intheregistrant’snormalcourseoftrade.”
TheCourthadtodecidewhethertheHearingOfficer’sfindingswerereasonable
ornot,giventheproofofusethathadbeenfiled,namelytheaffidavitalong
withtherelatedexhibits.
Astatementintheaffidavitindicatedthatthewaresassociatedwiththetrade-
markinquestionwereshippedtoclientsinboxesandbags,andthatthetrade-
markwasvisibleonsuchpackaging.TheRespondentsattachedasanexhibit
somephotographsshowingthetrade-markinquestiononboxesinawarehouse.



















































©CIPS,2006.*Lawyer,MarcelNaudisamemberofLEGERROBICRICHARD,L.L.P.,amultidisciplinaryfirmof
lawyers,andpatentandtrademarkagents.PublishedinWorldTrademarkLawReport.
Publication293.039.

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Theaffidavitalsocontainedstatementsregardingannualsalesforthewares
madeduringtherelevanttimeperiod,anditreferredtoanexhibitcomprisedof
invoicesfromacompanycalledWake-CupCoffeeDepotInc.showingcoffee
soldtovariousretailersanddisplayingthetrade-markinquestion.
However,theCourtwasoftheopinionthattheaffidavitandthephotographs
filedasanexhibitdidnotestablishuse,becausetheyfailedtoreveal(a)
whetherthepicturesweretakenwithinthethreeyearperiodormorerecently,
(b)whethertheyweretakeninCanadaorelsewhereand(c)whethertheboxes
actuallycontainedthewaresassociatedwiththetrade-markinquestionor
somethingelse.
TheCourtfoundtheinvoicesfiledirrelevant,becausetheywerenotestablishing
thatthewaressoldborethetrade-markinquestion,whichisanessential
requirementtoshowusewithinthemeaningoftheTrade-marksAct.
Insupportofthisviewthatwhatamountstobareunsubstantiatedstatementsof
usearenotacceptable,theCourtcitedsomeexcerptsofthedecisionin
AerosolFillersInc.v.Plough(Canada)Ltd(1979)45CPR(2d)194.Inthatdecision
CattanachJ.statedthattheaffidavit,andmoreparticularlysoincasesof
summaryexpungementprocedures,shouldbepreciseand“shouldnotbe
susceptibleofmorethanoneinterpretationandifitisthentheinterpretation
adversetotheinterestofthepartyinwhosethedocumentwasmadeshouldbe
adopted.”
Accordingly,theCourtfoundthattheHearingOffice’sconclusionwasnot
reasonableandgrantedtheappeal.

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