Estta937383 11/27/2018 in the United States Patent And
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Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Electronic Filing System. http://estta.uspto.gov ESTTA Tracking number: ESTTA937383 Filing date: 11/27/2018 IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE BEFORE THE TRADEMARK TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD Proceeding 91216585 Party Plaintiff Kate Spade LLC Correspondence G ROXANNE ELINGS Address DAVIS WRIGHT TREMAINE LLP 1251 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS 21ST FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10020 UNITED STATES [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], li- [email protected], [email protected] 212-489-8230 Submission Brief on Merits for Plaintiff Filer's Name L. Danielle Toaltoan Filer's email [email protected] Signature /LDT/ Date 11/27/2018 Attachments Trial Brief - FINAL - 11 26 2018 Redacted.pdf(206977 bytes ) In the matter of Serial No. 86/179,137 Mark: THE SPADES Kate Spade LLC, Opposition No. 91217168 Opposer, v. The Spades Trademark Company, LLC Applicant. In the matter of Application Serial No. 85/932,097 Mark: PATIO BY THE SPADES Kate Spade LLC, Opposition No.: 91216585 Opposer, v. Thatch, LLC Applicant. OPPOSER’S TRIAL BRIEF 4848-3075-5457v.8 0096356-000028 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. PRELIMINARY STATEMENT ........................................................................................ 1 II. THE RECORD.................................................................................................................... 3 A. Opposer’s Record.................................................................................................... 3 B. Applicants’ Record ................................................................................................. 5 III. STATEMENT OF ISSUES ................................................................................................ 6 IV. STATEMENT OF FACTS ................................................................................................. 7 A. The KATE SPADE Trademarks ............................................................................. 7 1. History of the KATE SPADE Brand .......................................................... 7 2. Kate Spade’s Channels of Trade ............................................................... 10 3. Fame and Strength of the KATE SPADE Trademarks ............................. 10 a. Kate Spade’s Sales Figures ........................................................... 10 b. Kate Spades Advertising and Promotion ...................................... 11 c. Unsolicited Media and Publicity for the KATE SPADE Marks ............................................................................................ 15 d. Press Acknowledging the Fame and Recognition of the KATE SPADE Marks ................................................................... 17 e. Cultural Significance and Other Evidence of Fame of the KATE SPADE Marks ................................................................... 19 f. Market Research Demonstrates the Fame of the KATE SPADE Marks ............................................................................... 21 4. Registration of the KATE SPADE Trademarks ....................................... 22 5. Kate Spade’s Policing Efforts and Findings of Fame ............................... 22 B. Applicants’ Marks ................................................................................................. 23 V. ARGUMENT .................................................................................................................... 24 A. THE SPADES Marks Create a Likelihood of Confusion with Kate Spade’s KATE SPADE Marks ........................................................................................... 24 i 4848-3075-5457v.8 0096356-000028 1. Kate Spade Has Prior Rights in the KATE SPADE Marks ...................... 24 2. Applicants’ Marks are Confusingly Similar to the KATE SPADE Marks ........................................................................................................ 24 a. The KATE SPADE Marks are Famous and Entitled to a Broad Scope of Protection ............................................................ 25 b. The Parties’ Marks are Similar in Appearance and Create the Same Commercial Impression and the Parties’ Goods or Services are Identical .................................................................... 27 c. The Parties’ Goods Are Sold To the Same Consumers and Through The Same Channels of Trade ......................................... 30 d. Applicants Prior Association with the KATE SPADE Marks Enhances the Likelihood of Confusion.............................. 31 e. Kate Spade’s Consumers Are Considered General Consumers Under the Relevant Caselaw ...................................... 33 f. There is no Significant Third-Party Registrations or Evidence of Third-Party Use ........................................................ 33 g. Summary of the DuPont Factors ................................................... 35 B. Applicants’ THE SPADES Marks are Likely to Dilute the KATE SPADE Marks .................................................................................................................... 35 1. The KATE SPADE Marks are Famous for Purposes of Dilution ............ 35 2. THE SPADES Marks are likely to blur the distinctiveness of the KATE SPADE Mark................................................................................. 38 a. The Parties’ Marks are Very Similar ............................................ 39 b. The KATE SPADE Mark is Inherently Distinctive ...................... 39 c. Kate Spade Engages in Substantially Exclusive Use of the KATE SPADE Mark..................................................................... 39 d. The KATE SPADE Mark Enjoys a High Degree of Recognition and Applicants’ Adopted THE SPADES Marks in Bad Faith........................................................................ 40 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 41 ii 4848-3075-5457v.8 0096356-000028 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page(s) Cases 7-Eleven, Inc. v. Wechsler, 83 U.S.P.Q.2d 1715 (T.T.A.B. 2007) ......................................................................................37 Bose Corp. v. QSC Audio Prods. Inc., 293 F.3d 1367, 63 U.S.P.Q.2d 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2002) .................................................25, 26, 28 Broadway Catering Corp. v. Carla Inc., 215 U.S.P.Q. 462 (T.T.A.B. 1982) ..........................................................................................31 Chanel, Inc. v. Jerzy Makarczyk, 110 U.S.P.Q.2d 2013 (T.T.A.B. 2014) ....................................................................................37 Deere & Co. v. MTD Prods., Inc., 41 F.3d 39, 32 U.S.P.Q.2d 1936 (2d Cir. 1994) ......................................................................38 In re E.I. DuPont DeNemours & Co., 476 F.2d 1357, 177 U.S.P.Q. 563 (C.C.P.A. 1973) ...............................................24, 25, 27, 31 Eli Lilly & Co. v. Natural Answers, Inc., 233 F.3d 456, 56 U.S.P.Q 2d 1942 (7th Cir. 2000) .................................................................39 Equibrand Corp. v. Reinsman Equestrian Prods., No. 3:07–cv–0536, 2007 WL 1461393 (N.D. Tex. May 17, 2007).........................................32 Federated Foods, Inc. v. Fort Howard Paper Co., 544 F.2d 1098, 192 U.S.P.Q. 24 (C.C.P.A. 1976) ...................................................................27 Gianni Versace, S.p.A. v. Versace 19.69 Abbigliamento Sportivo SRL, 328 F. Supp. 3d 1007 (N.D. Cal. 2018) ...................................................................................28 Gucci v. Gucci Shops, Inc., 688 F. Supp. 916, 7 U.S.P.Q.2d 1833 (S.D.N.Y. 1988) ..........................................................29 Hard Rock Café Int’l (USA), Inc. v. Elsea, 56 U.S.P.Q.2d 1504 (T.T.A.B. 2000) ....................................................................25, 26, 28, 29 Hewlett-Packard v. Packard Press, Inc., 281 F.3d 1261, 62 U.S.P.Q.2d 1001 (Fed. Cir. 2002) .......................................................28, 30 In re i.am.symbolic, llc, 866 F.3d 1315, 123 U.S.P.Q.2d 1744 (Fed. Cir. 2017) ..........................34 In re Iolo Techs., LLC, 95 U.S.P.Q.2d 1498 (T.T.A.B. 2010) ......................................................................................27 iii 4848-3075-5457v.8 0096356-000028 JA Apparel Corp. v. Abboud, 568 F.3d 390, 91 U.S.P.Q.2d 1095 (2d Cir. 2009), on remand, 682 F. Supp. 2d 294 (S.D.N.Y. 2010) ..........................................................................................................32, 33 Jack Wolfskin Ausrustung Fur Draussen GmbH & Co. KGAA v. New Millennium Sports, S.L.U., 797 F.3d 1363, 116 U.S.P.Q.2d 1129 (Fed. Cir. 2015) ...........................................................34 JL Powell Clothing LLC v. Powell, No. 2:13-cv-00160-NT, 2014 WL 347249 (D. Me. Jan. 30, 2014), amended by 2014 WL 12539686 (D. Me. Dec. 17, 2014) ...........................................................................32 Juice Generation, Inc. v. GS Enters. LLC, 794 F.3d 1334, 115 U.S.P.Q.2d 1671 (Fed. Cir. 2015) ...........................................................34 Kate Spade LLC v. Saturdays Surf LLC, 950 F. Supp. 2d 639 (S.D.N.Y. 2013)......................................................................................20 Kimberly-Clark Corp. v. H. Douglas Enters., Ltd., 774 F.2d 1144, 227 U.S.P.Q. 541 (Fed. Cir. 1985) .................................................................26 L.C. Licensing Inc. v. Berman, 86 U.S.P.Q.2d