Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN GROVER WELLERW Al-rO”NLI GEN’CIAL HaeonbJa aeade 18kll seolvbtuy OS 3tato Path, ho8 Attcutiont Mr. J. L. UoOarity Gsu art optpian so. o-6 ma ri.lhg of ‘: . ‘782 iion. Claude Iabrll, page 2 “ThIa oifioe ha@ txlu8.d to ills thia Junior ap- plio*tiw without the rrittoo oonaent of $hO l0nlor ngiatrant duo to the firat oonvlotion that tha 8~0 muko uw too 8IaUar to pnoludo being oonfw~ to the publIfr. The attorney8 Sor the lppiiolot, huumrm, oontend that the namaa are not 80 ,ti- fIo I~t4 lir a ila aa rto ba oonfuai~g to tha publI0. will you, therrroro, pioaao favor ua with your opl~ton 00 to whether or not wo should approve and iI10 the latter applioatlon while we still ham aa an aotIv* reglrtranb the fonwir.w hrtlola 851, Yernon*a Aimotat0d Civil Statutra, provIds0: laaooiatlon *b;rery p r o o n, or union or worklngmz~, i~aorpomto& or uttinoorpontad, that hna haratorora or ahall har0aft.r adopt 0 labrl, trcrdomark, daalgn, dorleo, iaprint or form of ldvutIawant, lhakl file the aaae iat tha ortiao or th 8eontary 0r &It&toby loarirrll: two fw ~l.aUo oo~loa, with tho Sooratary of 8tat0, uad aald 8aontuy ahall return to mtoh perwan aaaooiatim or union 00 riuttg the maa, one oi “ii iao llailo oo~1.8 al- with and attaohod to a duly ltteatod oOrtIfIoato of t&a fiung of aam, for whloh he ahall no*lvo a r00 0r one dollar. suoh o.artiSioata of flu&t6 ahall In ml1 lulta and proaoou- tfotta 4 tta u th is ahaptu be luffioIant p0r or tin dooption or luoh labal, tmdo auk, doai&a, derloo, l& p r int o rr o r O mSldrertieemnt, and OS tb iua been adopted or uaod Dr ray oharltable, bona?+ lent or nliglow a00Ioty Or lOaOelation, rlthout their oonnnt .* (unduaaorl4J oura) ikm.Ol~WeIabo~l,~ 3 vadertho or tllo uade~linnd portlott0s the rboro- quoted lt8tut*, the ticnr.oftha lrttu aa to vhothor the Svontary of State ah&d remt tha fl.linc;of the tradwrk lnqulr- ed about deputda upon vhothor uld tr#Iatuk “vould probsblr k mIa ta k o nwfor l t m&mark alwady of noord. In oottaootlon vIth thla tmttu, vv rsfv ou to the M 0 of Nwahall Mrs. Cd. v. Vorhalon, (Cir. App. f (63 18.U. (2dy 665 (uwr wfuaod). IXI this caav, it ma hold that vhothor l wgiakwd tmMomwk VII in- frlngoclup08 br a o tltor's alle d usa of e rlallar dosign vaa a qu4stian 0s fk0t. "E"t vas rho har d that vhother tba waamblaaoe of the tvo doaQpta vaa so groat tbst the pub110 vould, or would be likely to, riotake coteibr Uu other VU 8 question 0s raot. Ve quote from the omwt!a opinion la the above-cited oaae, aa folloust wTho twdemuk 0s rppvllant~a krakatr I8 one oon- tltnmus rod akva atwdittg don, one aide of the Dakota, under the bottar md \tp khv dlnatlf oppoaito aide; and the buketa mumf8aturnd .W the dofoadamta, whloh are olnl8od to ba infrlngemnt ogoo. urd la uxthlr oapatl- tlon to plaintlfiga lp*~iall~ sigwd kalcets, bear two r u u ht3oatlauoua ltuoa o f 39 so a * type ea tadlrtlno- tiw 60161p, plaood at right uyloa wd to uoh other, 00 that, Lxlmoat poaItlorra,only oaa OS tke atavoa ,k r~ai- ble to tba usa\ul 0baerv.r. Tha wd oolov in the ltsvo a ir not fknotiorwl in l$tasr 0s the kahta~ thor ln' ~0n1r omanamtal8nd &a&nod to doa*totba oriqiaud lo uwe 0s the g0od8; B&ok&a unuf~otuwd bf both tha phmirr 8ridthodofm&ntar8rapnwntodin ttilof th0 amao, and w hejw eshLbit.d. vhioh '(rraoloarlj indl~tln of ompetltim rirrlzy br the unufwtuwra of W allowd mirikrly doai@od baakotr nJww~~&0-~y&pgl.. w tovhother thoyaw oaf IRrrin&aMt utd unfair a titialw the muluaut~ oonooma~ tha d*olalPa of32 oh rrata lolelr rith th* fm@- rinnioa w-w* II. . . . " . . 80, la thla c800, it vaa ahe pwvlaw o? th0 j&y'to findupai~vosy~to~~1l*aua rriaedbf the l vldamm, aad ve thixtkit ia olulr that tbo dla- tinotin WI) 0s p~bttiri% brrbto urd that ~pioyrd by the deha4Wk niud the lrauoa tbt ttm - 0~timmt0 wd atah 00 plaoedla tbo rioidof the lmtuxu1 color vood of the bmakota by mmiif, __- . .: 784 mm. Claude Iabal~, pa@ k we8 a toohnIonl trademark;and, further, if not, It had a rooondary psan&, .&8Ignatiq apprllant~~ baakata through long and oontlnuoua uao and ad- r~rtlronientl and that tha deiondautt* baaketr, with two oontlnuixia red @tat00 acoaaIn~ eaoh other at right an&lea under the bottom of the baakota, mra 10 lim.ilar 00 that any yeraon would obaarvr and miatako the one ioz the other and daal for ona rhan ho intandsd to dti*l for the other. Buoh find- ing@ would be upon oontrolling faot iesuea. i&llaa Blumb~ co. v. Dollar County PluzabIp(: co., mx, OIV. App., 253 8. wr 3081 Dixbpid Corp. ve ~lg stand GO., TAX* CIT. App. 31 I). w.,2d 325# Nom CO. v. Whitelt al., !Jkx. cir; Asp*, 160 s. w. 26 312b writ af uwr refund. Tin the laat oltad oaao; the Floe8 !iotol aought to enjoin The Whita-Pl,asa Zotel from using the name HOti&" Ii'@&3 OOUWS Of'thO O&IiOJS, a0 'SUr Antonio court H GIrIl Ap#eala hold, e)9tla& from AtUs AaauranYo ‘CO. v. Atiaa I5auranae~ Co., 1.98 Iowa 228, ll2 8. We 232, 233, IJA Na M’. 609, 15 L.ii.A., ii. St., 625, 128 As@ 5t. Rap. 189, that ** *, * .what degree of roaamblaiioa between tha n&mca or derloea la lurrioiont to warrant the int0rf0~n00~0r a oourt in oaua of tai@ kind I@ not oapable of oxmot doflnl- tion. It la, and auat bo, tram the vsrJ nature ot tha imaa aaInly l'quoatlon of faot to ba dotarmlned by the o ~r o ttUtMl 880 In oaoh partIou&ar ppOaPbg 0404.' So, In tha 0808 hmn, the oourt balm we8 not warrantad to baka the oaaa Zram thq jury and ankr judgmnt in .tha lbaorraa of iIndln&a dotar- dnatlro or the altlmatr IOaWO of toot raIae9 by ‘~. tha plea~a and the aridmoo, hanoa the Ju&mt ia raverood and th8 oaaa wtaanded.* b V~OW 0s th r0wg0htg 4ttd b *iar OS th0 iqgrup or Artlola 851, it ia our opbioa t&t tha abetter aa to whet&r the bradmark,$n guoatlon lhpulb k illed, brolva~ a quoatlon . of faot;aad'.Itla not the polloy of thir d~partannt t0 dater- mine any quaatiw 0s foot* If the searekry or skw find that tha tradoaurk, QAVEWAY FOOD @TO&&,* would’ be nrlatokon Sot tha trademark, QAFmAT, YOU2 I7UiiHD .