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Intellectual
Property

CBA Intellectual Property Section

Articles are published by the Intellectual Property Section. Members interested in posting articles are encouraged to send them to the Section by email: CBAI_P@cba.org.

Today
Today

Case Summary: Federal Court dismisses Section 56 appeal of TMOB’s decision to refuse application to register the trademark TRULY CANADIAN CERIFIED GOLD and Design

  • August 19, 2021
  • William S. Foster

Appeal under Section 56 of the Trademarks Act by Beverly Hills Jewellers MFG Ltd. (the “Applicant”) of the Trademarks Opposition Board’s (“TMOB”) decision to refuse its application to register the composite trademark TRULY CANADIAN CERIFIED GOLD & Design (the “GOLD Mark”):

Intellectual Property

Case Summary: Don’t get the munchies

  • August 19, 2021
  • Shaun B. Cody

The Subway branded sandwich restaurant chain brought an action to enjoin use of “Budway” along with a logo adopted to resemble Subway’s trademark logos. Subway alleged that the Budway trademark infringed its registered trademark and amounted to both passing off and depreciation of goodwill. The Court agreed and provided injunctive relief along with an award of damages and costs.

Intellectual Property

Case summary: Federal Court confirms that facts cannot be copyrighted

  • August 19, 2021
  • Homira Haqani

This motion for summary judgment involved the Canadian author, Thomas P. Kelley’s (“Kelley”) 1954 book The Black Donnellys and its sequel Vengeance of the Black Donnellys. The works recounted a famous fight in 1875 in Lucan, Ontario, over a land dispute and long-lasting feud.

Intellectual Property

Case Summary: Federal Court Finds HOSTESS Trademark Valid and Infringed in Summary Trial

  • August 19, 2021
  • David Bowden

This decision relates to an action commenced by Boulangerie Vachon Inc (“Vachon”) and its affiliates against Silvano Racioppo (the “Individual Defendant”) and companies for which he acts as principal, including Natural Stuff Inc. and Hostess Bread Company Inc. (collectively, the “Corporate Defendants”). In the action – which proceeded via summary trial in Federal Court – the Plaintiffs alleged infringement, passing off, and depreciation of goodwill in the HOSTESS trademark by the Defendants.

Intellectual Property

Case summary: Federal Court refuses to accept reply expert reports

  • August 19, 2021
  • David Chapman

This decision concerned a motion by the plaintiff (PSET) to file reply expert reports in an ongoing patent infringement action. PSET argued that these reply reports were necessitated by new evidence introduced by the defendants’ (Google) responding expert reports.

Intellectual Property