Docket: T-1416-13
Citation:
2014 FC 716
Ottawa, Ontario, July 18, 2014
PRESENT: The
Honourable Madam Justice Gleason
BETWEEN:
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COORS BREWING COMPANY AND MOLSON CANADA 2005
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Applicants
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and
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ANHEUSER-BUSCH, LLC
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Respondent
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REASONS AND JUDGMENT
[1]
The respondent, Anheuser-Busch, LLC [Anheuser],
is the owner of the trade-mark “GRAB SOME BUDS”. On February 24, 2010, the
Canadian Intellectual Property Office [CIPO] issued Registration No. TMA
818,398 [the 398 Registration] to Anheuser for the GRAB SOME BUDS mark. The
applicants, Coors Brewing Company and Molson Canada 2005 [Molson Coors] own a
competing mark, “GRAB SOME STONES”. Both parties use their respective
trade-marks in association with beer.
[2]
In an action that is currently pending before
the Ontario Superior Court, Anheuser has sued Molson Coors, alleging, among
other things, that Molson Coors’ use in Canada of the GRAB SOME STONES
trade-mark infringes Anheuser’s 398 Registration.
[3]
In addition to defending the Ontario action,
Molson Coors took the offensive and made an application to this Court, seeking
expungement of the 398 Registration under subsection 57(1) of the Trade-marks
Act, RSC 1985, c T-13 [the Trade-marks Act or the Act]. Although
Anheuser followed what appears to have been a relatively common practice in
seeking the registration, Molson Coors argues that the recent decision of my
colleague, Justice Manson, in The Thymes, LLC v Reitmans Canada Limited,
2013 FC 127 [Thymes] should result in the expungement of the 398
Registration. It asserts in this regard that it was not open to Anheuser to
make its initial application based on intended use in Canada and then to
subsequently amend its application to rely on a pending U.S. Registration for
the GRAB SOME BUDS mark in the United States in circumstances where it had not
yet started to use the mark in the U.S. at the date it originally made its
Canadian application. Although it appears that it is not uncommon for
applicants to proceed in this fashion, Molson Coors argues that this process is
not viable and that the decision in Thymes requires the expungement of the GRAB
SOME BUDS registration.
[4]
I disagree that the ruling in Thymes
stands for any such thing and have accordingly dismissed this application, with
costs, for the reasons set out below.
I.
Background
[5]
To put the issues in context, the background to
the registration at issue may be described as follows.
[6]
On August 16, 2010 Anheuser filed a U.S. trade-mark application to register the GRAB SOME BUDS trade-mark in the U.S. The application was premised on intended use. Anheuser commenced using the GRAB SOME
BUDS trade-mark in the U.S. on September 24, 2010. It thereafter filed the
requisite proof of use of the mark in the U.S. with the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office and on March 8, 2011 received a U.S. registration for the GRAB
SOME BUDS mark.
[7]
As is frequently done, Anheuser pursued
registration for the mark concurrently in Canada. It filed its Canadian
application with CIPO on September 14, 2010, under subsection 30(e) of the Trade-marks
Act, which allows an applicant to apply for registration based on its
intent to use a trade-mark in Canada. (By virtue of subsection 40(2) of the
Act, the registration may not issue in a paragraph 30(e) application until the
applicant files a declaration of use of the mark in Canada with CIPO.)
[8]
On January 18, 2011, CIPO approved Anheuser’s
Canadian application under subsection 37(1) of the Act. Such “approval” is not
synonymous with granting the registration. Rather, it is merely notice to the
applicant that CIPO does not oppose the mark and that it will therefore be
advertised in the Trade-marks Journal. Advertisement is intended to
provide notice to potentially interested parties so as to afford them the
opportunity to oppose the registration if they wish to do so.
[9]
On February 9, 2011, before the application was
advertised in the Trade-marks Journal, Anheuser amended its application
to withdraw the proposed use basis and substitute subsection 30(d) of the Act
as the basis for registration. Under that provision, an applicant may apply for
registration of a trade-mark in Canada based upon prior registration or
application for registration of a trade-mark in another country (that is party
to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property or a
member of the World Trade Organization) and use by the applicant of the mark in
that country. In its amendment, Anheuser referenced its then still-pending U.S. application as the basis for registration in the U.S.
[10]
On February 28, 2011, CIPO voided its earlier
approval notice in light of Anheuser’s change of grounds and issued an office
action, requiring Anheuser to file a certified copy of its U.S. registration. It did so on April 21, 2011, and on May 31, 2011 CIPO issued a further
approval notice in respect of Anheuser’s Canadian application. On July 27, 2011,
Anheuser’s Canadian application was advertised in the Trade-marks Journal.
No one opposed the application, and on November 10, 2011, CIPO allowed
Anheuser’s application. On February 24, 2012, CIPO issued the 398 Registration
to Anheuser.
[11]
Anheuser has used the GRAB SOME BUDS trade-mark
in both Canada and the U.S. in association with its beer for the last several
years. Molson Coors commenced this application for expungement in August of
2013.
[12]
Finally, Anheuser filed evidence in this
application from a title searcher showing that several other owners of U.S. registered trade-marks followed the same process as Anheuser took in this case, namely filing
in Canada first based on proposed use of the mark in Canada and then amending
the application to rely on an intervening U.S. registration or pending
registration. In some of these cases, like here, the U.S. registration
materials documented that use in the U.S. post-dated the Canadian application
date.
II.
Relevant Legislation
[13]
Before examining Molson Coors’ argument it is
necessary to review the relevant provisions of the Trade-marks Act and Trade-marks
Regulations, SOR/96-195 [the Regulations]. All these provisions are set out
in full in the Appendix to these Reasons. I accordingly cite below only the
most salient provisions.
[14]
The first of these is section 57 of the Trade-marks
Act, which allows for the expungement of registered trade-marks (or their
removal from the Register) by this Court. Subsection 57(1) provides in relevant
part as follows:
Exclusive
jurisdiction of Federal Court
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Juridiction exclusive
de la Cour fédérale
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57. (1) The Federal Court has exclusive original jurisdiction, on
the application of the Registrar or of any person interested, to order that
any entry in the register be struck out or amended on the ground that at the
date of the application the entry as it appears on the register does not
accurately express or define the existing rights of the person appearing to
be the registered owner of the mark.
|
57. (1) La Cour
fédérale a une compétence initiale exclusive, sur demande du registraire ou
de toute personne intéressée, pour ordonner qu’une inscription dans le
registre soit biffée ou modifiée, parce que, à la date de cette demande,
l’inscription figurant au registre n’exprime ou ne définit pas exactement les
droits existants de la personne paraissant être le propriétaire inscrit de la
marque.
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[15]
Expungement proceedings are not the only way in
which a challenge may be made to the registration of a trade-mark. The Act also
provides in section 38 for opposition by any person to a proposed registration.
The portions of section 38 relevant to this application provide as follows:
Statement of
opposition
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Déclaration d’opposition
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38. (1) Within two months after the advertisement of an
application for the registration of a trade-mark, any person may, on payment
of the prescribed fee, file a statement of opposition with the Registrar.
|
38. (1) Toute personne peut, dans le délai de deux mois à compter de
l’annonce de la demande, et sur paiement du droit prescrit, produire au
bureau du registraire une déclaration d’opposition.
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Grounds
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Motifs
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(2) A
statement of opposition may be based on any of the following grounds:
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(2) Cette opposition peut
être fondée sur l’un des motifs suivants :
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(a) that the application does not conform to the requirements of
section 30;
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a) la demande ne satisfait pas aux exigences de l’article 30;
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(b) that the trade-mark is not registrable;
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b) la marque de commerce n’est pas enregistrable;
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(c) that the applicant is not the person entitled to registration
of the trade-mark; or
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c) le requérant n’est pas la personne ayant droit à l’enregistrement;
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(d) that the trade-mark is not distinctive.
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d) la marque de commerce n’est pas distinctive
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[16]
Section 18 of the Act governs validity of registrations
and provides in relevant part as follows:
When
registration invalid
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Quand
l’enregistrement est invalide
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18. (1) The
registration of a trade-mark is invalid if
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18. (1)
L’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce est invalide dans les cas suivants
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(a) the trade-mark was not registrable at
the date of registration,
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a) la marque de commerce n’était pas
enregistrable à la date de l’enregistrement;
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(b) the trade-mark is not distinctive at
the time proceedings bringing the validity of the registration into question
are commenced, or
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b) la marque de commerce n’est pas
distinctive à l’époque où sont entamées les procédures contestant la validité
de l’enregistrement;
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(c) the
trade-mark has been abandoned,
and subject to section 17, it is invalid
if the applicant for registration was not the person entitled to secure the
registration.
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c) la marque de
commerce a été abandonnée.
Sous réserve de l’article 17,
l’enregistrement est invalide si l’auteur de la demande n’était pas la
personne ayant droit de l’obtenir.
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[17]
Section 12 of the Act deals with the types that
are marks are registrable. It is concerned with issues surrounding the nature
of the proposed mark as opposed to whether it has been used.
[18]
As noted, subsection 40(2) of the Trade-marks
Act requires that an applicant who has based his application on proposed
use in Canada to file proof of that use before registration may issue.
Likewise, section 31 of the Act requires an applicant who has based its
application on registration or pending registration and use abroad to file the
foreign registration before the applicant’s Canadian application is advertised.
[19]
Section 16 of the Trade-marks Act governs
entitlement to registration. Subsection 16(2) is of particular importance in
this application. It states:
Marks registered and used abroad
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Marques déposées et employées dans un autre pays
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(2) Any applicant who has filed an application in accordance with
section 30 for registration of a trade-mark that is registrable and that the
applicant or the applicant’s predecessor in title has duly registered in or
for the country of origin of the applicant and has used in association with
wares or services is entitled, subject to section 38, to secure its registration
in respect of the wares or services in association with which it is
registered in that country and has been used, unless at the date of filing of
the application in accordance with section 30 it was confusing with
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(2) Tout requérant qui a produit une demande selon l’article 30 en
vue de l’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce qui est enregistrable et que
le requérant ou son prédécesseur en titre a dûment déposée dans son pays
d’origine, ou pour son pays d’origine, et qu’il a employée en liaison avec
des marchandises ou services, a droit, sous réserve de l’article 38, d’en
obtenir l’enregistrement à l’égard des marchandises ou services en liaison
avec lesquels elle est déposée dans ce pays et a été employée, à moins que, à
la date de la production de la demande, en conformité avec l’article 30, elle
n’ait créé de la confusion :
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(a) a trade-mark that had been previously used in Canada or made known in Canada by any other person;
(b) a trade-mark in respect of which an application for
registration had been previously filed in Canada by any other person; or
(c) a trade-name
that had been previously used in Canada by any other person.
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a) soit avec une marque de commerce antérieurement employée ou
révélée au Canada par une autre personne;
b) soit avec une marque de commerce à l’égard de laquelle une demande
d’enregistrement a été antérieurement produite au Canada par une autre
personne;
c) soit avec un nom
commercial antérieurement employé au Canada par une autre personne.
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[20]
The required contents of a trade-mark
application are set out in section 30 of the Act. Subsections 30(b) and (d), which
Anheuser relied on, provide:
Contents of
application
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Contenu d’une demande
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30. An
applicant for the registration of a trade-mark shall file with the Registrar
an application containing
[…]
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30. Quiconque sollicite l’enregistrement
d’une marque de commerce produit au bureau du registraire une demande
renfermant :
[…]
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(b) in the case of a trade-mark that has
been used in Canada, the date from which the applicant or his named
predecessors in title, if any, have so used the trade-mark in association
with each of the general classes of wares or services described in the
application;
[…]
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b) dans le cas
d’une marque de commerce qui a été employée au Canada, la date à compter de
laquelle le requérant ou ses prédécesseurs en titre désignés, le cas échéant,
ont ainsi employé la marque de commerce en liaison avec chacune des
catégories générales de marchandises ou services décrites dans la demande;
[…]
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(d) in the case of a trade-mark that is
the subject in or for another country of the Union of a registration or an
application for registration by the applicant or the applicant’s named
predecessor in title on which the applicant bases the applicant’s right to
registration, particulars of the application or registration and, if the
trade-mark has neither been used in Canada nor made known in Canada, the name
of a country in which the trade-mark has been used by the applicant or the
applicant’s named predecessor in title, if any, in association with each of
the general classes of wares or services described in the application;
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d) dans le cas
d’une marque de commerce qui est, dans un autre pays de l’Union, ou pour un
autre pays de l’Union, l’objet, de la part du requérant ou de son prédécesseur
en titre désigné, d’un enregistrement ou d’une demande d’enregistrement sur
quoi le requérant fonde son droit à l’enregistrement, les détails de cette
demande ou de cet enregistrement et, si la marque n’a été ni employée ni
révélée au Canada, le nom d’un pays où le requérant ou son prédécesseur en
titre désigné, le cas échéant, l’a employée en liaison avec chacune des
catégories générales de marchandises ou services décrites dans la demande;
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[21]
Section 37 of the Act sets out the situations
where registration applications must be refused; these include situations where
the mark is not registrable or where the applicant has not complied with
section 30 of the Act.
[22]
Sections 30 to 33 of the Regulations govern
amendments to trade-mark applications. Amendments like that made in this case
are specifically foreseen by section 32 of the Regulations, which provides in
relevant part as follows:
32. No application
for the registration of a trade-mark may be amended, after it has been
advertised in the Journal, to change
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32. La modification
d’une demande d’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce n’est pas permise
après l’annonce de la demande dans le Journal, si elle vise, selon le cas :
|
(a) the trade-mark in any manner whatsoever;
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a) à modifier la marque de commerce, à quelque égard que ce soit;
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(b) the date of first use or making known in Canada of the trade-mark;
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b) à changer la date de premier emploi ou de révélation, au Canada,
de la marque de commerce;
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(c) the application from one alleging use or making known to one
for a proposed trade-mark;
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c) à modifier la demande qui allègue que la marque de commerce a été
employée ou révélée en une demande alléguant qu’il s’agit d’une marque de
commerce projetée;
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(d) the application from one that does not allege that the
trade-mark has been used and registered in or for a country of the Union to
one that does so allege; or
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d) à modifier la demande n’alléguant pas que la marque a été employée
et enregistrée dans un pays de l’Union ou pour un pays de l’Union en une
demande alléguant ce fait;
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(e) the statement of wares or services so as to be broader than
the statement of wares or services contained in the application at the time
of advertisement.
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e) à modifier l’état déclaratif des marchandises ou services pour
étendre la portée de celui qui figurait dans la demande au moment de
l’annonce.
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[23]
Finally, section 19 of the Act sets out a
presumption of validity of a trade-mark that flows from registration.
[24]
As is more fully discussed below, these
provisions have been collectively interpreted as providing that there are fewer
issues that may give rise to a successful expungement claim as opposed to a
successful opposition claim.
III.
The Decision in Thymes
[25]
I turn next to the decision in Thymes,
which provides the underpinning for Molson Coors’ argument in this case. That
case involved an appeal from the Trade-Marks Opposition Board [the TMOB] in the
context of an opposition under section 38 of the Act. In addition, there,
unlike here, the applicant had not amended its application. Rather, it based
its application on a foreign registration, noting in its application that it
had made the foreign application and intended to use the trade-mark in question
in the other jurisdiction. The TMOB allowed the opposition, holding that the
material date for assessment of compliance with subsection 30(d) of the Act in
that case was the application date, and that, since the applicant had not used
the mark as of that date, the application was refused. In upholding the
decision of the TMOB, Justice Manson wrote as follows at paras 18-20 of Thymes:
A. Was Use of the Applicant’s THYMES
Mark in the United States Required as of the Filing Date of the Application in
Canada?
18. I will deal with the applicant’s
first ground of appeal. There is no doubt a proper reading of that section
requires that, at the time of filing the application, if an applicant relies on
registration or application and use abroad pursuant to that section, there must
have been use of the trade-mark at the time of the application to rely on this
section as a valid basis to obtain registration in Canada.
19. It is clear that section 16(2) of the
Act emphasizes that use of the mark in the country of origin of the applicant
is a requirement for registration in Canada.
20. Further, the last portion of section
16(2) of the Act, namely: “unless at the date of filing of the application in
accordance with section 30”, also supports the view that both section 16 and
section 30 requirements must exist and be reviewed as at the date of filing of
the application.
IV.
Does Thymes Require the Expungement of
the 398 Registration?
[26]
Molson Coors argues that the decision in Thymes
must necessarily result in the expungement of the 398 Registration in this case
because at the date the Canadian application was filed Anheuser had not yet
used the trade-mark in the U.S. and commenced doing so only ten days later. It
asserts that the foregoing passage from Justice Manson’s decision must be taken
as meaning that in all cases where an application is filed under subsection 30(d)
of the Trade-marks Act there must have been actual use in the foreign
jurisdiction of the foreign-registered mark as of the Canadian application
date. It thus asserts that Anheuser’s application did not conform to subsection
30(d) of the Act and that the 398 Registration ought to have been refused under
section 37 of the Act.
[27]
Molson Coors further contends that in such
circumstances it is entitled to have the GRAB SOME BUDS registration expunged
because the jurisprudence recognises that a false statement in a trade-mark
application will warrant expungement where there was fraudulent
misrepresentation or where the inclusion of a material false statement of use
was fundamental to the registration (relying on WCC Containers Sales Ltd v
Haul-All equipment Ltd, 2003 FC 962 at para 25 [WCC] and General
Motors of Canada v Décarie Motors Inc, [2001] 1 FC 665 (FCA) at paras 17-18
[General Motors]). It argues that a misstatement was made in this case
as Thymes requires that there be actual foreign use as of the Canadian
application date, but this did not occur. It says that such lack of use would
have been sufficient to refuse registration after the decision in Thymes,
and accordingly that the GRAB SOME BUDS registration should be expunged, as
occurred in Unitel Communications Inc v Bell Canada (1995), 61 CPR (3d)
12 (FCTD) [Unitel], a case cited by the Court in both WCC and General
Motors. (In both WCC and General Motors, the Court accepted
the misstatement doctrine but found there was no such misstatement warranting
invalidation.)
[28]
In response, Anheuser makes two principal
arguments. First, it asserts that Thymes should not be understood so as
to require there to have been both foreign use and registration or application
for registration as of the Canadian application date in all cases. It notes in
this regard that the TMOB in Thymes, whose decision Justice Manson
upheld, premised its determination as to the material date for the assessment
of compliance with subsection 30(d) of the Act in that case on the earlier TMOB
decision in Georgia-Pacific Corp v Scott Paper Ltd (1984), 3 CPR (3d)
469 [Georgia-Pacific]. There, the TMOB noted that the material date for
assessing compliance with section 30 of the Act may not always be the
application date, and suggested that it may well be the date an amendment is
made in a case like the present. The TMOB wrote in this regard in Georgia-Pacific
at 475 as follows:
16. In assessing the issue arising
pursuant to s. 29(b) [now s. 30(b)] of the Act, I consider that the material
time for considering the circumstances relating to that issue to be the filing
date of the applicant’s application (although this may change if the
application is amended).
[29]
Secondly, Anheuser argues that even if the
material date for assessing compliance with section 30 of the Act in this case
were the date of its original Canadian application – i.e. September 14, 2010 –
the issue of compliance with section 30 of the Act does not govern as this is
an expungement application and not an opposition. Thus, Anheuser claims that
even if the mark could have been successfully opposed, it cannot be expunged.
It argues in this regard that both the relevant case law and doctrine require
there to have been a material or fraudulent misrepresentation made by the
applicant in the registration application before a registered – and
presumptively valid – trade-mark registration can be expunged. It relies in
this regard on Harold G. Fox, Canadian Law of Trade-Marks and Unfair
Competition, 3rd ed (Scarborough: Carswell, 1972) [Fox], where Dr. Fox
stated at 252-253:
There is … no provision in the Act under which
mis-statements in an application for registration … become grounds for
invalidating the registration unless the mis-statements had the effect of
making the trade-mark not registrable under s. 12 of the Act or unless there
was a fraudulent misrepresentation.
[30]
Anheuser notes that the foregoing passage from
Dr. Fox was endorsed by the Court in WCC. It also relies on Parfums
de Coeur, Ltd v Asta, 2009 FC 21 and Miranda Aluminum Inc v Miranda
Windows & Doors Inc, 2010 FCA 104 in support of the argument that
Canadian trade-mark law does not favour the striking of registrations based on
mere technical irregularities, but rather takes a more nuanced and balanced
approach.
[31]
Anheuser argues that this case is
distinguishable from Unitel and Marchands Ro-Na Inc v Tefal SA
(1981), 55 CPR (2d) 27 [Marchands] because it made no misrepresentation,
unlike the trade-mark registrants in those cases. It asserts in this regard
that its “use and application for registration abroad” claim was correct at the
time that it was made because it commenced use of the mark in the U.S. on
September 24, 2010 and did not amend its application to allege use and
application abroad until over four months later on February 9, 2011. It also
notes that its amendment was in accordance with the applicable requirements of
the Regulations and common practice. It thus argues that there is no basis for
expungement in this case in the absence of a misrepresentation.
[32]
As counsel for Anheuser noted during oral
argument, it is not necessary for me to rule on his first argument, which might
well involve disagreeing with the reasoning in Thymes. I instead believe
that Anheuser’s second argument is a complete answer to Molson Coors’ application
in this case. In this regard, as noted, the authorities do recognise that the
bases for expungement under section 57 of the Trade-marks Act are
narrower than those which might give rise to a successful opposition under
section 38 of the Act, and under these narrower grounds, there is no basis for
expungement in this case.
[33]
Section 18 of the Trade-marks Act
provides four statutory grounds for invalidating a registration: (a)
non-registrability (which invokes the issues in section 12), (b) non-distinctiveness;
(c) abandonment, and (d) non-entitlement. It is common ground between the
parties that none of these statutory grounds applies in the present case.
[34]
In terms of non-statutory grounds for
expungement, the case law originally limited those situations to ones of
fraudulent misrepresentation by a trade-mark applicant or innocent
misrepresentation as to one of the matters listed in section 12 of the Act, as
Dr. Fox noted in his text, referred to by Anheuser. In General Motors,
Justice Desjardins summarised these principles as follows at paras 16-18:
16. The appellants claim that the Trial
Judge failed to consider the incomplete and misleading nature of the Segal
affidavit which, they claim, renders the registration invalid ab initio.
17. They rely on the case of Unitel
Communications Inc. v. Bell Canada and Marchands Ro-Na Inc. v. Tefal S.A.,
but more specifically on the following statement of Harold G. Fox referred to
with approval in these cases:
There is . . . no provision in the Act
under which mis-statements in an application for registration . . . become
grounds for invalidating the registration unless the mis-statements had the
effect of making the trade mark not registrable under s. 12 of the Act or
unless there was a fraudulent misrepresentation.
[Emphasis
added]
18. A registration can be invalidated by
two kinds of misstatements: (i) fraudulent, intentional misstatements, and (ii)
those that may be innocent but that are material in the sense that, without
them, the section 12 barriers to registration would have been insurmountable.
[Emphasis in
original]
[35]
In Unitel, Justice Gibson interpreted the
second form of misstatement to include those which do not go to section 12 of
the Act, but are nonetheless fundamental to the registration. In that case, he
found that the respondent’s statement of intent to use in its application for a
proposed trade-mark, as well as its declaration of use, were “simply false”, but did not link these misstatements to
any of the factors listed in section 12 of the Trade-marks Act.
Nevertheless, he held that “the statement of intent in
the application and the declaration of use were both fundamental to the
registration of the trade-marks”, and so voided the registrations ab
initio (at para 131).
[36]
In WCC, Justice Kelen interpreted Unitel
in this manner, at para 23:
23. When these statements are put side by
side it is apparent that Gibson J. was not overruling Bonus Foods or Biba
Boutique Ltd., but limiting their applicability in cases where the
application contains “material false statements” of use that are “fundamental
to the registration” of the mark. Gibson J.’s conclusion is also consistent
with the paragraph from Dr. Fox set out above. In addition to fraudulent
misrepresentation, Dr. Fox stated that a registration could be invalidated if
“the mis-statements had the effect of making the trade mark not registrable
under s. 12 of the Act.” Gibson J. in effect extended this reasoning beyond
section 12 to include other circumstances where a registration could not have
been secured without a misstatement.
[Emphasis
added]
[37]
Thus, in Unitel and WCC, this
Court expanded the situations where expungement is available in cases of
innocent misrepresentation beyond misrepresentations on issues under section 12
of the Act to any circumstance where the misrepresentation allowed for the
issuance of a registration that otherwise would not have issued (although in
truth this was not so much an expansion as a reaffirmation of the principle set
out by Justice Addy in Marchands, decided in 1981, where the Court
invalidated a registration based on a false declaration of use).
[38]
From the foregoing, the law on invalidity of
trade-mark registrations can be summarised as follows:
- There are four
statutory grounds for invalidity: (a) non-registrability, (b)
non-distinctiveness; (c) abandonment, and (d) non-entitlement (Trade-marks
Act, s. 18).
- In addition,
misstatements in the trade-mark application may serve to invalidate a
registered trade-mark in two circumstances: (a) where the misstatement was
intentional and fraudulent, and (b) where the misstatement was innocent
but fundamental to the registration, in the sense that the registration
could not have been secured without the misstatement (Fox; General
Motors; Unitel; WCC).
- Where, but for
the misstatement in the application, the trade-mark would not have been
registrable under section 12, that misstatement is fundamental and thus
grounds to invalidate the registration (Fox; General Motors; WCC).
- Where the
trade-mark application was based on proposed use under subsection 30(e) of
the Act, and the statement of intent to use (required under subsection
30(e)) and the declaration of use (required under subsection 40(2)) are
shown to have been false, the Court has found that to be a fundamental
misstatement warranting invalidation of the registration (Marchands;
Unitel). There may be other situations where an innocent
misstatement not linked to section 12 of the Act is nonetheless
fundamental to the registration and thus grounds to invalidate the
registration, but the parties have not presented another example of such
in the case law.
[39]
When these principles are applied to the present
case, it is my view that there is no misstatement (let alone a fundamental one)
that can form the basis of a ground of invalidity.
[40]
In this regard, subsection 30(d) of the Act
requires that an application for registration based on use and registration
abroad contain particulars of the application or registration, and, if the
trade-mark has neither been used nor made known in Canada, the name of a
country in which the trade-mark has been used by the applicant (or the
applicant’s named predecessor in title) in association with each of the general
classes of wares or services described in the application. Anheuser provided
this information in connection with its application for the 398 Registration
and did not at any point make a misstatement in the Canadian application.
[41]
More specifically, on the filing date of
September 14, 2010, the Canadian application was based on proposed use, so
there was no statement that Anheuser had used the trade-mark GRAB SOME BUDS in
the U.S. when in fact it had not. On February 9, 2011, Anheuser amended its
application to withdraw the proposed use basis and add a claim of ‘use and
registration abroad’ under subsection 30(d), and filed a statement indicating
that it “has used the trade-mark in association with (1)
beer in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” (Applicant’s Record, Vol 1, Tab 3A at
000028). At the time of this declaration, this statement was true, as Anheuser
had commenced actual use of the GRAB SOME BUDS trade-mark in the U.S. as of September 24, 2010.
[42]
Therefore, Anheuser did not make any
misstatement in the Canadian application. As the presence of a misstatement is
a necessary precondition for expungement, it follows that this application for
expungement must be dismissed.
[43]
The parties concur that costs should follow the
event in this matter and should be fixed at the mid-point of Column III of
Tariff B of the Federal Courts Rules, SOR/98-106 [the Rules]. I agree
that this is appropriate and accordingly so award.
JUDGMENT
THIS COURT’S JUDGMENT is that:
This
application is dismissed, with costs at the mid-point of Column III to Tariff B
to the Rules.
"Mary J.L. Gleason"
APPENDIX
Trade-marks Act, RSC 1985, c T-13
When trade-mark registrable
|
Marque de commerce enregistrable
|
12. (1) Subject to section 13, a trade-mark is registrable if it
is not
|
12. (1) Sous réserve de l’article 13, une marque de commerce est
enregistrable sauf dans l’un ou l’autre des cas suivants :
|
(a) a word that is
primarily merely the name or the surname of an individual who is living or
has died within the preceding thirty years;
|
a) elle est
constituée d’un mot n’étant principalement que le nom ou le nom de famille
d’un particulier vivant ou qui est décédé dans les trente années précédentes;
|
(b) whether depicted, written or sounded, either clearly
descriptive or deceptively misdescriptive in the English or French language
of the character or quality of the wares or services in association with
which it is used or proposed to be used or of the conditions of or the
persons employed in their production or of their place of origin;
|
b) qu’elle soit
sous forme graphique, écrite ou sonore, elle donne une description claire ou
donne une description fausse et trompeuse, en langue française ou anglaise,
de la nature ou de la qualité des marchandises ou services en liaison avec
lesquels elle est employée, ou à l’égard desquels on projette de l’employer,
ou des conditions de leur production, ou des personnes qui les produisent, ou
du lieu d’origine de ces marchandises ou services;
|
(c) the name in any language of any of the wares or services in
connection with which it is used or proposed to be used;
|
c) elle est
constituée du nom, dans une langue, de l’une des marchandises ou de l’un des
services à l’égard desquels elle est employée, ou à l’égard desquels on
projette de l’employer;
|
(d) confusing with a registered trade-mark;
|
d) elle crée de la
confusion avec une marque de commerce déposée;
|
(e) a mark of which the adoption is prohibited by section 9 or 10;
|
e) elle est une
marque dont l’article 9 ou 10 interdit l’adoption;
|
(f) a denomination the adoption of which is prohibited by section
10.1;
|
f) elle est une
dénomination dont l’article 10.1 interdit l’adoption;
|
(g) in whole or in part a protected geographical indication, where
the trade-mark is to be registered in association with a wine not originating
in a territory indicated by the geographical indication;
|
g) elle est
constituée, en tout ou en partie, d’une indication géographique protégée et
elle doit être enregistrée en liaison avec un vin dont le lieu d’origine ne
se trouve pas sur le territoire visé par l’indication;
|
(h) in whole or in part a protected geographical indication, where
the trade-mark is to be registered in association with a spirit not
originating in a territory indicated by the geographical indication; and
|
h) elle est
constituée, en tout ou en partie, d’une indication géographique protégée et
elle doit être enregistrée en liaison avec un spiritueux dont le lieu
d’origine ne se trouve pas sur le territoire visé par l’indication;
|
(i) subject to subsection 3(3) and paragraph 3(4)(a) of the
Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act, a mark the adoption of which is prohibited
by subsection 3(1) of that Act.
|
i) elle est une
marque dont l’adoption est interdite par le paragraphe 3(1) de la Loi sur les
marques olympiques et paralympiques, sous réserve du paragraphe 3(3) et de
l’alinéa 3(4)a) de cette loi.
|
Idem
|
Idem
|
(2) A trade-mark
that is not registrable by reason of paragraph (1)(a) or (b) is registrable
if it has been so used in Canada by the applicant or his predecessor in title
as to have become distinctive at the date of filing an application for its
registration.
[…]
|
(2) Une marque de commerce qui n’est pas enregistrable en raison
de l’alinéa (1)a) ou b) peut être enregistrée si elle a été employée au
Canada par le requérant ou son prédécesseur en titre de façon à être devenue
distinctive à la date de la production d’une demande d’enregistrement la
concernant.
[…]
|
Registration of
marks used or made known in Canada
|
Enregistrement des marques employées ou révélées au Canada
|
16. (1) Any
applicant who has filed an application in accordance with section 30 for
registration of a trade-mark that is registrable and that he or his
predecessor in title has used in Canada or made known in Canada in
association with wares or services is entitled, subject to section 38, to
secure its registration in respect of those wares or services, unless at the
date on which he or his predecessor in title first so used it or made it
known it was confusing with
|
16. (1) Tout requérant qui a produit une demande selon l’article
30 en vue de l’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce qui est enregistrable
et que le requérant ou son prédécesseur en titre a employée ou fait connaître
au Canada en liaison avec des marchandises ou services, a droit, sous réserve
de l’article 38, d’en obtenir l’enregistrement à l’égard de ces marchandises
ou services, à moins que, à la date où le requérant ou son prédécesseur en
titre l’a en premier lieu ainsi employée ou révélée, elle n’ait créé de la
confusion :
|
(a) a trade-mark that had been previously used in Canada or made known in Canada by any other person;
|
a) soit avec une
marque de commerce antérieurement employée ou révélée au Canada par une autre
personne;
|
(b) a trade-mark in respect of which an application for
registration had been previously filed in Canada by any other person; or
|
b) soit avec une
marque de commerce à l’égard de laquelle une demande d’enregistrement avait
été antérieurement produite au Canada par une autre personne;
|
(c) a trade-name that had been previously used in Canada by any other person.
|
c) soit avec un nom
commercial qui avait été antérieurement employé au Canada par une autre
personne.
|
Marks registered
and used abroad
|
Marques déposées et employées dans un autre pays
|
(2) Any applicant
who has filed an application in accordance with section 30 for registration
of a trade-mark that is registrable and that the applicant or the applicant’s
predecessor in title has duly registered in or for the country of origin of
the applicant and has used in association with wares or services is entitled,
subject to section 38, to secure its registration in respect of the wares or
services in association with which it is registered in that country and has
been used, unless at the date of filing of the application in accordance with
section 30 it was confusing with
|
(2) Tout requérant qui a produit une demande selon l’article 30 en
vue de l’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce qui est enregistrable et que
le requérant ou son prédécesseur en titre a dûment déposée dans son pays
d’origine, ou pour son pays d’origine, et qu’il a employée en liaison avec
des marchandises ou services, a droit, sous réserve de l’article 38, d’en
obtenir l’enregistrement à l’égard des marchandises ou services en liaison
avec lesquels elle est déposée dans ce pays et a été employée, à moins que, à
la date de la production de la demande, en conformité avec l’article 30, elle
n’ait créé de la confusion :
|
(a) a trade-mark that had been previously used in Canada or made known in Canada by any other person;
|
a) soit avec une
marque de commerce antérieurement employée ou révélée au Canada par une autre
personne;
|
(b) a trade-mark in respect of which an application for
registration had been previously filed in Canada by any other person; or
|
b) soit avec une
marque de commerce à l’égard de laquelle une demande d’enregistrement a été
antérieurement produite au Canada par une autre personne;
|
(c) a trade-name that had been previously used in Canada by any other person.
|
c) soit avec un nom
commercial antérieurement employé au Canada par une autre personne.
|
Proposed marks
|
Marques projetées
|
(3) Any applicant
who has filed an application in accordance with section 30 for registration
of a proposed trade-mark that is registrable is entitled, subject to sections
38 and 40, to secure its registration in respect of the wares or services
specified in the application, unless at the date of filing of the application
it was confusing with
|
(3) Tout requérant qui a produit une demande selon l’article 30 en
vue de l’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce projetée et enregistrable, a
droit, sous réserve des articles 38 et 40, d’en obtenir l’enregistrement à
l’égard des marchandises ou services spécifiés dans la demande, à moins que,
à la date de production de la demande, elle n’ait créé de la confusion :
|
(a) a trade-mark that had been previously used in Canada or made known in Canada by any other person;
|
a) soit avec une
marque de commerce antérieurement employée ou révélée au Canada par une autre
personne;
|
(b) a trade-mark in respect of which an application for
registration had been previously filed in Canada by any other person; or
|
b) soit avec une
marque de commerce à l’égard de laquelle une demande d’enregistrement a été
antérieurement produite au Canada par une autre personne;
|
(c) a trade-name that had been previously used in Canada by any other person.
|
c) soit avec un nom
commercial antérieurement employé au Canada par une autre personne.
|
Where application
for confusing mark pending
|
Si une demande relative à une marque créant de la confusion est
pendante
|
(4) The right of an
applicant to secure registration of a registrable trade-mark is not affected
by the previous filing of an application for registration of a confusing
trade-mark by another person, unless the application for registration of the
confusing trade-mark was pending at the date of advertisement of the applicant’s
application in accordance with section 37.
|
(4) Le droit, pour un requérant, d’obtenir l’enregistrement d’une
marque de commerce enregistrable n’est pas atteint par la production
antérieure d’une demande d’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce créant de
la confusion, par une autre personne, à moins que la demande d’enregistrement
de la marque de commerce créant de la confusion n’ait été pendante à la date
de l’annonce de la demande du requérant selon l’article 37.
|
Previous use or
making known
|
Emploi ou révélation antérieur
|
(5) The right of an
applicant to secure registration of a registrable trade-mark is not affected
by the previous use or making known of a confusing trade-mark or trade-name
by another person, if the confusing trade-mark or trade-name was abandoned at
the date of advertisement of the applicant’s application in accordance with
section 37.
[…]
|
(5) Le droit, pour un requérant, d’obtenir l’enregistrement d’une
marque de commerce enregistrable n’est pas atteint par l’emploi antérieur ou
la révélation antérieure d’une marque de commerce ou d’un nom commercial
créant de la confusion, par une autre personne, si cette marque de commerce
ou ce nom commercial créant de la confusion a été abandonné à la date de
l’annonce de la demande du requérant selon l’article 37.
[…]
|
When registration
invalid
|
Quand l’enregistrement est invalide
|
18. (1) The
registration of a trade-mark is invalid if
|
18. (1) L’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce est invalide
dans les cas suivants :
|
(a) the trade-mark was not registrable at the date of
registration,
|
a) la marque de
commerce n’était pas enregistrable à la date de l’enregistrement;
|
(b) the trade-mark is not distinctive at the time proceedings
bringing the validity of the registration into question are commenced, or
|
b) la marque de
commerce n’est pas distinctive à l’époque où sont entamées les procédures
contestant la validité de l’enregistrement;
|
(c) the trade-mark has been abandoned,
|
c) la marque de
commerce a été abandonnée.
|
and subject to
section 17, it is invalid if the applicant for registration was not the
person entitled to secure the registration.
|
Sous réserve de l’article 17, l’enregistrement est invalide si
l’auteur de la demande n’était pas la personne ayant droit de l’obtenir.
|
Exception
|
Exception
|
(2) No registration
of a trade-mark that had been so used in Canada by the registrant or his
predecessor in title as to have become distinctive at the date of
registration shall be held invalid merely on the ground that evidence of the
distinctiveness was not submitted to the competent authority or tribunal
before the grant of the registration.
[…]
|
(2) Nul enregistrement d’une marque de commerce qui était employée
au Canada par l’inscrivant ou son prédécesseur en titre, au point d’être
devenue distinctive à la date d’enregistrement, ne peut être considéré comme
invalide pour la seule raison que la preuve de ce caractère distinctif n’a
pas été soumise à l’autorité ou au tribunal compétent avant l’octroi de cet
enregistrement.
[…]
|
Rights conferred by
registration
|
Droits conférés par l’enregistrement
|
19. Subject to
sections 21, 32 and 67, the registration of a trade-mark in respect of any
wares or services, unless shown to be invalid, gives to the owner of the
trade-mark the exclusive right to the use throughout Canada of the trade-mark in respect of those wares or services.
[…]
|
19. Sous réserve des articles 21, 32 et 67, l’enregistrement d’une
marque de commerce à l’égard de marchandises ou services, sauf si son
invalidité est démontrée, donne au propriétaire le droit exclusif à l’emploi
de celle-ci, dans tout le Canada, en ce qui concerne ces marchandises ou
services.
[…]
|
Contents of
application
|
Contenu d’une demande
|
30. An applicant
for the registration of a trade-mark shall file with the Registrar an
application containing
|
30. Quiconque sollicite l’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce
produit au bureau du registraire une demande renfermant :
|
(a) a statement in ordinary commercial terms of the specific wares
or services in association with which the mark has been or is proposed to be
used;
|
a) un état, dressé
dans les termes ordinaires du commerce, des marchandises ou services
spécifiques en liaison avec lesquels la marque a été employée ou sera
employée;
|
(b) in the case of a trade-mark that has been used in Canada, the
date from which the applicant or his named predecessors in title, if any,
have so used the trade-mark in association with each of the general classes
of wares or services described in the application;
|
b) dans le cas
d’une marque de commerce qui a été employée au Canada, la date à compter de
laquelle le requérant ou ses prédécesseurs en titre désignés, le cas échéant,
ont ainsi employé la marque de commerce en liaison avec chacune des
catégories générales de marchandises ou services décrites dans la demande;
|
(c) in the case of a trade-mark that has not been used in Canada
but is made known in Canada, the name of a country of the Union in which it
has been used by the applicant or his named predecessors in title, if any,
and the date from and the manner in which the applicant or named predecessors
in title have made it known in Canada in association with each of the general
classes of wares or services described in the application;
|
c) dans le cas
d’une marque de commerce qui n’a pas été employée au Canada mais qui est
révélée au Canada, le nom d’un pays de l’Union dans lequel elle a été
employée par le requérant ou ses prédécesseurs en titre désignés, le cas
échéant, et la date à compter de laquelle le requérant ou ses prédécesseurs
l’ont fait connaître au Canada en liaison avec chacune des catégories
générales de marchandises ou services décrites dans la demande, ainsi que la
manière dont ils l’ont révélée;
|
(d) in the case of a trade-mark that is the subject in or for
another country of the Union of a registration or an application for
registration by the applicant or the applicant’s named predecessor in title
on which the applicant bases the applicant’s right to registration,
particulars of the application or registration and, if the trade-mark has
neither been used in Canada nor made known in Canada, the name of a country
in which the trade-mark has been used by the applicant or the applicant’s
named predecessor in title, if any, in association with each of the general
classes of wares or services described in the application;
|
d) dans le cas
d’une marque de commerce qui est, dans un autre pays de l’Union, ou pour un
autre pays de l’Union, l’objet, de la part du requérant ou de son
prédécesseur en titre désigné, d’un enregistrement ou d’une demande
d’enregistrement sur quoi le requérant fonde son droit à l’enregistrement,
les détails de cette demande ou de cet enregistrement et, si la marque n’a
été ni employée ni révélée au Canada, le nom d’un pays où le requérant ou son
prédécesseur en titre désigné, le cas échéant, l’a employée en liaison avec
chacune des catégories générales de marchandises ou services décrites dans la
demande;
|
(e) in the case of a proposed trade-mark, a statement that the
applicant, by itself or through a licensee, or by itself and through a
licensee, intends to use the trade-mark in Canada;
|
e) dans le cas
d’une marque de commerce projetée, une déclaration portant que le requérant a
l’intention de l’employer, au Canada, lui-même ou par l’entremise d’un
licencié, ou lui-même et par l’entremise d’un licencié;
|
(f) in the case of a certification mark, particulars of the
defined standard that the use of the mark is intended to indicate and a
statement that the applicant is not engaged in the manufacture, sale, leasing
or hiring of wares or the performance of services such as those in
association with which the certification mark is used;
|
f) dans le cas
d’une marque de certification, les détails de la norme définie que l’emploi
de la marque est destiné à indiquer et une déclaration portant que le
requérant ne pratique pas la fabrication, la vente, la location à bail ou le
louage de marchandises ou ne se livre pas à l’exécution de services, tels que
ceux pour lesquels la marque de certification est employée;
|
(g) the address of the applicant’s principal office or place of
business in Canada, if any, and if the applicant has no office or place of
business in Canada, the address of his principal office or place of business
abroad and the name and address in Canada of a person or firm to whom any
notice in respect of the application or registration may be sent, and on whom
service of any proceedings in respect of the application or registration may
be given or served with the same effect as if they had been given to or served
on the applicant or registrant himself;
|
g) l’adresse du
principal bureau ou siège d’affaires du requérant, au Canada, le cas échéant,
et si le requérant n’a ni bureau ni siège d’affaires au Canada, l’adresse de
son principal bureau ou siège d’affaires à l’étranger et les nom et adresse,
au Canada, d’une personne ou firme à qui tout avis concernant la demande ou
l’enregistrement peut être envoyé et à qui toute procédure à l’égard de la
demande ou de l’enregistrement peut être signifiée avec le même effet que si
elle avait été signifiée au requérant ou à l’inscrivant lui-même;
|
(h) unless the application is for the registration only of a word
or words not depicted in a special form, a drawing of the trade-mark and such
number of accurate representations of the trade-mark as may be prescribed;
and
|
h) sauf si la
demande ne vise que l’enregistrement d’un mot ou de mots non décrits en une
forme spéciale, un dessin de la marque de commerce, ainsi que le nombre, qui
peut être prescrit, de représentations exactes de cette marque;
|
(i) a statement that the applicant is satisfied that he is
entitled to use the trade-mark in Canada in association with the wares or
services described in the application.
[…]
|
i) une déclaration
portant que le requérant est convaincu qu’il a droit d’employer la marque de
commerce au Canada en liaison avec les marchandises ou services décrits dans
la demande.
[…]
|
Applications based
on registration abroad
|
Demandes fondées sur l’enregistrement à l’étranger
|
31. (1) An
applicant whose right to registration of a trade-mark is based on a
registration of the trade-mark in another country of the Union shall, before
the date of advertisement of his application in accordance with section 37,
furnish a copy of the registration certified by the office in which it was
made, together with a translation thereof into English or French if it is in
any other language, and such other evidence as the Registrar may require to
establish fully his right to registration under this Act.
|
31. (1) Un
requérant dont le droit à l’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce est fondé
sur un enregistrement de cette marque dans un autre pays de l’Union fournit,
avant la date de l’annonce de sa demande selon l’article 37, une copie de cet
enregistrement, certifiée par le bureau où il a été fait, de même qu’une
traduction de cet enregistrement en français ou en anglais, s’il est en une
autre langue, et toute autre preuve que le registraire peut requérir afin
d’établir pleinement le droit du requérant à l’enregistrement prévu par la
présente loi.
|
Evidence required
in certain cases
|
Preuve requise en
certains cas
|
(2) An applicant
whose trade-mark has been duly registered in his country of origin and who
claims that the trade-mark is registrable under paragraph 14(1)(b) shall
furnish such evidence as the Registrar may require by way of affidavit or
statutory declaration establishing the circumstances on which he relies,
including the length of time during which the trade-mark has been used in any
country.
[…]
|
(2) Un requérant
dont la marque de commerce a été régulièrement enregistrée dans son pays
d’origine et qui prétend que cette marque de commerce est enregistrable aux
termes de l’alinéa 14(1)b), fournit la preuve que le registraire peut
requérir par voie d’affidavit ou de déclaration solennelle établissant les
circonstances sur lesquelles il s’appuie, y compris la période durant
laquelle la marque de commerce a été employée dans un pays.
[…]
|
When applications
to be refused
|
Demandes rejetées
|
37. (1) The
Registrar shall refuse an application for the registration of a trade-mark if
he is satisfied that
|
37. (1) Le
registraire rejette une demande d’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce
s’il est convaincu que, selon le cas :
|
(a) the application does not conform to the requirements of
section 30,
|
a) la demande ne satisfait pas aux exigences de l’article 30;
|
(b) the trade-mark is not registrable, or
|
b) la marque de commerce n’est pas enregistrable;
|
(c) the applicant is not the person entitled to registration of
the trade-mark because it is confusing with another trade-mark for the
registration of which an application is pending,
|
c) le requérant n’est pas la personne qui a droit à
l’enregistrement de la marque de commerce parce que cette marque crée de la
confusion avec une autre marque de commerce en vue de l’enregistrement de
laquelle une demande est pendante.
|
and where the
Registrar is not so satisfied, he shall cause the application to be
advertised in the manner prescribed.
|
Lorsque le
registraire n’est pas ainsi convaincu, il fait annoncer la demande de la
manière prescrite.
|
Notice to applicant
|
Avis au requérant
|
(2) The Registrar
shall not refuse any application without first notifying the applicant of his
objections thereto and his reasons for those objections, and giving the applicant
adequate opportunity to answer those objections.
|
(2) Le registraire
ne peut rejeter une demande sans, au préalable, avoir fait connaître au
requérant ses objections, avec les motifs pertinents, et lui avoir donné une
occasion convenable d’y répondre.
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Doubtful cases
|
Cas douteux
|
(3) Where the
Registrar, by reason of a registered trade-mark, is in doubt whether the
trade-mark claimed in the application is registrable, he shall, by registered
letter, notify the owner of the registered trade-mark of the advertisement of
the application.
|
(3) Lorsque, en
raison d’une marque de commerce déposée, le registraire a des doutes sur la
question de savoir si la marque de commerce indiquée dans la demande est
enregistrable, il notifie, par courrier recommandé, l’annonce de la demande
au propriétaire de la marque de commerce déposée.
|
Statement of
opposition
|
Déclaration
d’opposition
|
38. (1) Within two
months after the advertisement of an application for the registration of a
trade-mark, any person may, on payment of the prescribed fee, file a
statement of opposition with the Registrar.
|
38. (1) Toute
personne peut, dans le délai de deux mois à compter de l’annonce de la
demande, et sur paiement du droit prescrit, produire au bureau du registraire
une déclaration d’opposition.
|
Grounds
|
Motifs
|
(2) A statement of
opposition may be based on any of the following grounds:
|
(2) Cette
opposition peut être fondée sur l’un des motifs suivants :
|
(a) that the
application does not conform to the requirements of section 30;
|
a) la demande ne
satisfait pas aux exigences de l’article 30;
|
(b) that the
trade-mark is not registrable;
|
b) la marque de
commerce n’est pas enregistrable;
|
(c) that the
applicant is not the person entitled to registration of the trade-mark; or
|
c) le requérant
n’est pas la personne ayant droit à l’enregistrement;
|
(d) that the
trade-mark is not distinctive.
[…]
|
d) la marque de
commerce n’est pas distinctive.
[…]
|
Registration of
trade-marks
|
Enregistrement des
marques de commerce
|
40. (1) When an
application for registration of a trade-mark, other than a proposed
trade-mark, is allowed, the Registrar shall register the trade-mark and issue
a certificate of its registration.
|
40. (1) Lorsqu’une
demande d’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce, autre qu’une marque de
commerce projetée, est admise, le registraire inscrit la marque de commerce
et délivre un certificat de son enregistrement.
|
Proposed trade-mark
|
Marque de commerce
projetée
|
(2) When an
application for registration of a proposed trade-mark is allowed, the
Registrar shall give notice to the applicant accordingly and shall register
the trade-mark and issue a certificate of registration on receipt of a
declaration that the use of the trade-mark in Canada, in association with the
wares or services specified in the application, has been commenced by
|
(2) Lorsqu’une
demande d’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce projetée est admise, le
registraire en donne avis au requérant. Il enregistre la marque de commerce
et délivre un certificat de son enregistrement après avoir reçu une
déclaration portant que le requérant, son successeur en titre ou l’entité à
qui est octroyée, par le requérant ou avec son autorisation, une licence
d’emploi de la marque aux termes de laquelle il contrôle directement ou
indirectement les caractéristiques ou la qualité des marchandises et services
a commencé à employer la marque de commerce au Canada, en liaison avec les
marchandises ou services spécifiés dans la demande.
[…]
|
(a) the applicant;
|
|
(b) the applicant’s successor in title; or
|
|
(c) an entity that is licensed by or with the authority of the
applicant to use the trade-mark, if the applicant has direct or indirect
control of the character or quality of the wares or services.
[…]
|
|
Exclusive
jurisdiction of Federal Court
|
Juridiction
exclusive de la Cour fédérale
|
57. (1) The Federal
Court has exclusive original jurisdiction, on the application of the
Registrar or of any person interested, to order that any entry in the
register be struck out or amended on the ground that at the date of the
application the entry as it appears on the register does not accurately
express or define the existing rights of the person appearing to be the
registered owner of the mark.
|
57. (1) La Cour
fédérale a une compétence initiale exclusive, sur demande du registraire ou
de toute personne intéressée, pour ordonner qu’une inscription dans le
registre soit biffée ou modifiée, parce que, à la date de cette demande,
l’inscription figurant au registre n’exprime ou ne définit pas exactement les
droits existants de la personne paraissant être le propriétaire inscrit de la
marque.
|
Restriction
|
Restriction
|
(2) No person is entitled to institute under this section any
proceeding calling into question any decision given by the Registrar of which
that person had express notice and from which he had a right to appeal.
|
(2) Personne n’a le
droit d’intenter, en vertu du présent article, des procédures mettant en
question une décision rendue par le registraire, de laquelle cette personne
avait reçu un avis formel et dont elle avait le droit d’interjeter appel.
|
Trade-marks
Regulations, SOR/96-195
30. Except as
provided in sections 31 and 32, an application for the registration of a
trade-mark may be amended either before or after the application is
advertised pursuant to subsection 37(1) of the Act.
|
30. Sauf dans les
cas prévus aux articles 31 et 32, la demande d’enregistrement d’une marque de
commerce peut être modifiée avant ou après l’annonce faite en vertu du
paragraphe 37(1) de la Loi.
|
31. No application
for the registration of a trade-mark may be amended where the amendment would
change
|
31. La modification
d’une demande d’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce n’est pas permise si
elle vise l’un des objectifs suivants
|
(a) the identity of the applicant, except after recognition of a
transfer by the Registrar;
|
a) changer l’identité du requérant, sauf après reconnaissance du
transfert par le registraire;
|
(b) the trade-mark, except in respects that do not alter its
distinctive character or affect its identity;
|
b) modifier la marque de commerce, sauf à certains égards qui n’en
changent pas le caractère distinctif ni n’influent sur son identité;
|
(c) the date of first use or making known in Canada of the
trade-mark to an earlier date, except where the evidence proves that the
change is justified by the facts;
|
c) changer pour une date antérieure la date de premier emploi ou
de révélation, au Canada, de la marque de commerce, sauf s’il est prouvé que
les faits justifient le changement;
|
(d) the application from one not alleging use or making known of
the trade-mark in Canada before the filing of the application to one alleging
such use or making known; or
|
d) changer une demande n’alléguant pas que la marque de commerce a
été employée ou a été révélée au Canada avant la production de la demande en
une demande qui contient l’une ou l’autre de ces allégations;
|
(e) the statement of wares or services so as to be broader than
the statement of wares or services contained in the application at the time
the application was filed pursuant to section 30 of the Act.
|
e) modifier l’état déclaratif des marchandises ou services pour
étendre la portée de celui qui figurait dans la demande au moment du dépôt
effectué conformément à l’article 30 de la Loi.
|
32. No application
for the registration of a trade-mark may be amended, after it has been
advertised in the Journal, to change
|
32. La modification
d’une demande d’enregistrement d’une marque de commerce n’est pas permise
après l’annonce de la demande dans le Journal, si elle vise, selon le cas :
|
(a) the trade-mark in any manner whatsoever;
|
a) à modifier la marque de commerce, à quelque égard que ce soit;
|
(b) the date of first use or making known in Canada of the trade-mark;
|
b) à changer la date de premier emploi ou de révélation, au Canada,
de la marque de commerce;
|
(c) the application from one alleging use or making known to one
for a proposed trade-mark;
|
c) à modifier la demande qui allègue que la marque de commerce a
été employée ou révélée en une demande alléguant qu’il s’agit d’une marque de
commerce projetée;
|
(d) the application from one that does not allege that the
trade-mark has been used and registered in or for a country of the Union to
one that does so allege; or
|
d) à modifier la demande n’alléguant pas que la marque a été
employée et enregistrée dans un pays de l’Union ou pour un pays de l’Union en
une demande alléguant ce fait;
|
(e) the statement of wares or services so as to be broader than
the statement of wares or services contained in the application at the time
of advertisement.
|
e) à modifier l’état déclaratif des marchandises ou services pour
étendre la portée de celui qui figurait dans la demande au moment de
l’annonce.
|
33. (1) The
Registrar may correct a clerical error in any instrument of record where
|
33. (1) Le registraire
peut corriger toute erreur d’écriture qui s’est glissée dans un document aux
archives si, selon le cas :
|
(a) the clerical error is discovered by the Registrar; or
|
a) il découvre lui-même l’erreur;
|
(b) a request for correction is made by an applicant, registered
owner or trade-mark agent of the applicant or registered owner.
|
b) le requérant, le propriétaire inscrit ou l’agent de marques de
commerce de l’un ou de l’autre demande la correction.
|