Articles Tagged with Fame Is A Dominant Factor In Likelihood Of Confusion Cases

In a recent case decided in November 2019, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (the “Board” or the “TTAB”) sustained an opposition filed by Baccarat S.A. on various grounds including likelihood of confusion. The applicant was seeking to register the mark BACCARAT in standard characters for alcoholic beverages, namely vodka. Baccarat (“opposer”) pleaded ownership of 20 of its registrations for the mark BACCARAT, some of the goods included, crystal, glasses, cups, vases, decanters, carafes, champagne buckets, jewelry, candle sticks, and tea pots. Since the Opposer pleaded its registrations, priority was not at issue. See our blog post entitled, How Fame Impacts A Likelihood Of Confusion Determination, for an earlier decision on this topic.

The Board reviewed the DuPont factors, and pointed out that if fame exists it plays a dominant role in the likelihood of confusion analysis because famous marks enjoy a broad scope of protection and exclusivity of use. See our webpage entitled, Famous Trademarks Receive A Broader Scope of Protection, for more information on this topic. The Board discussed how fame is determined. It stated that fame could be measured indirectly by the volume of sales and advertising expenditures for the goods and services identified by the mark at issue, and by the recognition received by independent sources, such as unsolicited media coverage. Also, important is the length of time the mark has been used for the relevant goods or services, and the general reputation of the goods and services. The numbers for sales, advertising and market share should be put into perspective by comparing the statistics to similar goods or services.

Opposer placed evidence into the record showing its predecessors-in-interest started producing glass products in 1764 in France and by 1892 had an import agency in New York. Production of glassware and other goods under the BACCARAT mark continued into current times. Sales figures were introduced that showed from the year 2000-2017 sales of BACCARAT branded goods and services totaled $458,430,809. Advertising figures demonstrated that from the years 2005-2017 $33,996,270 was spent to market its goods and services. The opposer advertises its branded goods in top magazines and newspapers such as Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Forbes magazine.

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