enpan's Patent & Linux practice: 網頁廣告並不能證明商業使用

2019年8月15日星期四

網頁廣告並不能證明商業使用 - In re Siny Corp. (Fed. Cir. 2019)

網頁廣告並不能證明商業使用 - In re Siny Corp. (Fed. Cir. 2019)

案件資訊：
上訴人：IN RE: SINY CORP.
系爭商標：
CASALANA（Class 24）
（Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in No. 86754400）

本案緣起商標申請人Siny Corp.對美國TTAB（Trademark Trial Appeal Board）拒絕商標申請案的決定提出上訴，TTAB拒絕商標申請的理由是：沒有適當的證據證明商標的商業使用。

Trademark Act § 45, 15 U.S.C. § 1127.
"A mark is in use in commerce on goods when:
(A) it is placed in any manner on the goods or their containers or the displays associated therewith or on the tags or labels affixed thereto, or if the nature of the goods makes such placement impracticable, then on documents associated with the goods or their sale, and
(B) the goods are sold or transported in commerce, …"
其中，商標申請人Siny用網頁證明商業使用「CASALANA」，網頁也說明了商品的內容。

TTAB認為，商標申請人提出的商業使用證明是「廣告」，相關樣品也不代表商品訂購，不足以證明相關產品已經有商業使用。

CAFC判決文中節錄網頁畫面：

商標申請人主張網頁上的樣品包括了商品銷售的意思，甚至還有「For Sales Information」的用字。

TTAB認為，網頁上的文字本身不足以讓消費者購買，僅表示了消費者可以藉此得到更多購買商品的資訊，若是訂購資訊，應包括數量、價格與付款選項（"the cited text alone was insufficient for consumers to make a purchase; rather, it only indicated how consumers could obtain more information necessary to make a purchase."）

TTAB接著表示，（重要）要證明商標的商業使用，應該是商標標誌用在商品、包裝、連結商品的呈現或其標籤上。

（重要）也就是TTAB認為網頁上的資訊僅是「廣告」，不是販售（商業使用）資訊，而銷售據點上的標誌就是了。

（重要）進一步地，TTAB判斷「網頁」是不是一個「銷售據點」？如果需要靠外部方法（如打電話）得到銷售細節（價格、數量、訂購方法），網頁上的資訊就是廣告，不會是「銷售據點」。

"while some details must be worked out by telephone, if virtually all important aspects of the transaction must be deter-mined from information extraneous to the web page, then the web page is not a point of sale."

案件上訴CAFC。

商標標誌的商業使用應為用在商品、包裝、標籤，或是"連結商品的呈現"（"display associated with the goods"）上。

那「網頁」算不算一種連結商品的呈現（"display associated with the goods"）？

（重要）答案是，如果僅是商品以外的「廣告」或是「文件」，就不是連結商品的呈現，就不能證明商業使用。（“[I]t [is] well settled that mere advertising and documentary use of a notation apart from the goods do not constitute technical trademark use.”）

是否「樣品」符合商品的連結呈現？

（重要）答案是，如果這個呈現是在銷售據點，就是了！（"one important consideration is whether the display is at a point-of-sale location."）

（重要）以上幾個判斷都是要實際的證據來證明。

因此，網頁上的樣品僅是廣告，或是商品的連結呈現，就看證據吧！

[相關法條]
15 U.S.C. § 1051(a)
(a) Application for use of trademark
(1) The owner of a trademark used in commerce may request registration of its trademark on the principal register hereby established by paying the prescribed fee and filing in the Patent and Trademark Office an application and a verified statement, in such form as may be prescribed by the Director, and such number of specimens or facsimiles of the mark as used as may be required by the Director.
(2) The application shall include specification of the applicant's domicile and citizenship, the date of the applicant's first use of the mark, the date of the applicant's first use of the mark in commerce, the goods in connection with which the mark is used, and a drawing of the mark.
(3) The statement shall be verified by the applicant and specify that--
(A) the person making the verification believes that he or she, or the juristic person in whose behalf he or she makes the verification, to be the owner of the mark sought to be registered;
(B) to the best of the verifier's knowledge and belief, the facts recited in the application are accurate;
(C) the mark is in use in commerce; and
(D) to the best of the verifier's knowledge and belief, no other person has the right to use such mark in commerce either in the identical form thereof or in such near resemblance thereto as to be likely, when used on or in connection with the goods of such other person, to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive, except that, in the case of every application claiming concurrent use, the applicant shall--
(i) state exceptions to the claim of exclusive use; and
(ii) shall 1 specify, to the extent of the verifier's knowledge--
(I) any concurrent use by others;
(II) the goods on or in connection with which and the areas in which each concurrent use exists;
(III) the periods of each use; and
(IV) the goods and area for which the applicant desires registration.
(4) The applicant shall comply with such rules or regulations as may be prescribed by the Director. The Director shall promulgate rules prescribing the requirements for the application and for obtaining a filing date herein.

my two cents:
雖仍有反對意見（主張網頁上陳列樣品就是有效的銷售據點（point of sale）），但最好在商標申請案證明商業使用時，提出使用此商標的商品、價格、訂購/付款方法等證據。

補充搜尋TTAB案決定：