Comparative Study the Status of the Right of Priority due to use in the Legal System Governing the Trademarks

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Law, Faculty of Law and Economics, Khomeinishahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

2 Faculty of Law, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

3 Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Esfahan University, Esfahan, Iran

Abstract

Legal protection of trademarks in first to file systems is subject to registration of trademarks. Yet, the important question is that if a person makes using from the trademark without complying the registration formalities, whether can he/she claim legal protection based on this prior use or not? It should be said that despite the fact that trademark registration creates an exclusive right, it is not possible to completely ignore the prior use of the trademark as well as the reputation achieved by trademarks used in commercial markets and rights of prior users cannot be denied simply because those marks are not registered. The present research tries to analyze the efforts of various legal systems in weighing and adjusting the need for trademark registration on the one hand and the need to protect the rights arising from the prior use and acquired rights of prior users and try to prevent consumers from being misled, and seeks to enumerate the conditions and criteria of applying the right of priority due to use based on the existing legislative and judicial sources of legal systems studied. The authors have considered the verdicts of domestic and foreign courts, the legal texts of countries and international documents.

Keywords

Main Subjects


احمدیان‌مقدم، فرید و احمدیان‌مقدم، حمید (1399). علامت تجاری، شرایط احراز و مسئولیت مدنی ناشی از نقض علامت تجاری. تهران: مجمع علمی و فرهنگی مجد.
اندرز، داوود و بابایی، المیرا (1395). نقض حقوق صاحب علامت تجاری در حقوق ایران و انگلستان. حقوق تطبیقی ایران و بین‌الملل، س 9، ش 32، 2 ـ 39.
پورنوری، منصور (1383). حقوق مالکیت معنوی در دادگاه علائم تجاری و اختراعـات. تهران: مهد حقوق.
تقی‌زاده، تورج (1389). بررسی تطبیقی ضمانت اجرای علائم تجاری. رسالة دکترا. تهران. دانشگاه تهران. دانشکدة حقوق و علم سیاسی.
جعفرزاده، میرقاسم و لجم‌اورک، حسن (1399). استفاده از علامت تجاری در دعاوی نقض؛ شرطی استثنائی یا فراگیر. حقوق اسلامی، س 17، ش 65، 159-182
حبیبا، سعید و حسین‌زاده، مجید (1392). تحلیل دکترین رقیق‌سازی (دکترین نقض نوع دوم). مطالعات حقوق خصوصی، د 34، ش 1، 17-35.
رضاوصالی، محمود (1389). تجزیه‌وتحلیل مقررات مربوط به علائم تجارتی در حقوق ایران و تطبیقی. رسالة دکترا. تهران. دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی. واحد علوم تحقیقات.
قانون اصلاح موادی از قانون برنامة چهارم توسعة اقتصادی، اجتماعی، و فرهنگی جمهوری اسلامی ایران و اجرای سیاست‌های کلی اصل 44 قانون اساسی، مصوب 1387.
قانون ثبت اختراعات، طرح‌های صنعتی، و علائم تجاری، مصوب 1386.
میرحسینی، سید حسن (1385). فرهنگ حقوق مالکیت معنوی، حقوق مالکیت ادبی و هنری. ج 2، تهران: میزان.
Ahmadian Moghadam, F. & Ahmadian Moghadam, H. (2019). Trademark: Rules for Civil Liability Resulting from Trademark Infringement. Tehran: Majd Publication. (in Persian)
Alexandra, J. R. (2019). Trademark Failure to Function. Iowa Law Review, Vol. 104: nnn. Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2916731.
Barton Beebe & C. Scott Hemphill (2017). The Scope of Strong Marks: Should Trademark Law Protect the Strong More Than the Weak?, 92 N.Y.U. L. REV. 1339, 1346.
Chow, D. (2012). Lessons fromPfizer’s Disputes over Its Viagra Trademark in China. Md J. Int’l L.
Friedmann, D. (2015). The Uniqueness of the Trademark A Critical Analysis of the Specificity and Territoriality Principles. Faculty of Law. Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Klimkevičiūtė D. (2010). The Legal Protection of Well-Knowntrademarks and Trademarks with Reputation: The Trends of the Legalregulation in the EU Member States. Social Sciences Studies.
Kunze, G. (1993). Introduction to Trademark Law & Practice, the Basic Concepts a Wipo Training Manual. Geneva, Wipo Publication, No. 653 (El).
Lee, J.A. & Mehaffy, T. (2015). Prior Rights in the Chinese Trademark Law, European Intellectual Property Review. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law Research Paper.
Lemley & Colleen V. Chien, Mark A. (2003). Are the U.S. Patent Priority Rules Really Necessary?. University of California at Berkeley School of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper No. 124, 2003 UC Berkeley Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper Series, UC Berkeley School of Law, Boalt Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7200, Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=405180
Li Yougen (2010). Analysis on the Impact of the “Dilution Theory” on Ruling of Trademark Cases—Research on 100, Judgments of Well-Known Trademark Cases. Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag 2009. Front. LawChina.
Luis, H. Porangaba, acquired distinctiveness in the european union: when non-pp. 619-670 electronic copy available at: http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/195550/
Maxim Grinberg (2005). The Wipo Joint Recommendation Protecting Well Known Marks and The Forgotten Goodwill. Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property.
Michael Handler (2014). A Critical Assessment of Trade Mark Distinctiveness and Descriptiveness under Australian Law. Paper presented to the 28th Annual IPSANZ Conference. New Zealand: Queenstown.
Miles J. Alexander & Michael K. Heilbronner (2012). dilution Under Section 43(c) of the Lanham Act. Law and Contemporary Problems, Vol. 59, No. 2, 94-129.
Mir-Hosseini, S. H. (2006). Encyclopedia of Intellectual Property Rights, Literary and Artistic Property Rights. Tehran: Mizan Publishing. Vol. 2. (in Persian)
NunoPires de Carvalho (2014). The TRIPS Regime of Trademarks and Designs. Wolters Kluwer.
Rui, S. & Chen, J. (2016). The Interpretation and Application of Article 59(3) of the Trademark Law—In View of the Qi Hang Case (Shangbiaofa Di 59 Tiao Di 3 Kuan De Lijie Yu Shiyong—Yi Qihang An Wei Shijiao). Intellectual Property.
Soutoul, F., Bresson, J.-Ph., Inlex IP Expertise (2008). Well-known and famous trademarks in France. World Trademark Review.
Standing committee on the law of trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications, questionnaire on trademark law and practice (2003). Geneva.
Xuan, L. & Correa, C. M. (2009). Intellectual Property Enforcement International Perspective. UnitedKingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Alan, L. Durham (2017). The Trouble with Tacking: A Reconsideration of Trademark Priority. 54 HOUSTON LAW REVIEW 1027 (2017). This paper can be downloaded without charge from the Social Science Research Network Electronic Paper Collection: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2986947
French intellectual property code
The Industrial Property Act of the Republic of Poland (2000) (with amendments and supplements). [interactive]. [accessed 16-06-2010]. <http://www.jpo.go.jp/shiryou_e/s_sonota_e/fips_e/pdf/poland_e/e_sangyou.pdf>.
The Trademark Act of the Slovak Republic (1997) (with amendments and supplements). [interactive]. [accessed 15-04-2010]. <http://www.jpo.go.jp/shiryou_e/s_sonota_e/fips_e/pdf/slovakia/trademark_act.pdf>.
PRC Trademark Law 2013
Law 17/2001 of December 7, 2001, on Trademarks(as amended up to Law No. 20/2003 of July 7, 2003, on Legal Protection of Industrial Designs). JUAN CARLOS I, KING OF SPAIN.
Spanish Trademark Law, enter into force on July 31, 2002.
Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Propertyof March 20, 1883, as revisedat Brussels on December 14, 1900, at Washingtonon June 2, 1911, at The Hague on November 6, 1925, at London on June 2, 1934, at Lisbon on October 31, 1958, and at Stockholm on July 14, 1967, and as amended on September 28, 1979.
TRADEMARK LAW, Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia, January 1, 2000.
Council Regulation (EC) No 40/94 of 20 December 1993 on the Community trade mark [1993]
Council Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 of 26 February 2009 on the Community trade mark (codified version) [2009] OJ L 78/1. Art. 8 of the Regulation “Relative grounds for refusal”, para. (2)(c).
United Kingdom Trade Marks Act (1994) (with amendments and supplements). [interactive]. [accessed 02-06-2010]. <http://www.jpo.go.jp/shiryou_e/s_sonota_e/fips_e/pdf/england_e/e_shouhyou.pdf>, Sec.6(1)(c).
The Law on Trademarks and Other Distinctive Signs of the Federal Republic of Germany (1994) (with amendments and supplements). [interactive]. [accessed 02-03-2010]. <http://www.jpo.go.jp/shiryou_e/s_sonota_ e/fips_e/germany/tl/mokuji.htm>, Sec. 42 “Opposition” (Subsec. (2)(2)).
The Trademark Law of the Republic of the Republic of Greece (1994) (with amendments and supplements). [interactive]. [accessed 17-06-2010]. <http://www.jpo.go.jp/shiryou_e/s_sonota_e/fips_e/pdf/greece/trademark_ law.pdf>, Art. 4(2)(c).
Spanish Trademark Act, supra note 29, Art. 6 „Earlier trademarks“ (Para. 2(d))
Bulgarian Law on Marks and Geographical Indications, supra note 39, Art. 12(2)(iii).
Polish Industrial Property Law, supra note 15, Art. 132(1)(ii)
Slovakian Trademark Act, supra note 9, Arts. 4(2)(a), 16(7)(a) and (b).
Hungarian Trademark Act, supra note 40, Arts. 4 “Relative Grounds for Refusal” (Part (2)), 17 “Acquiescence” (Part (5)).
Maltese Trademarks Act, to regulate Trademarks, supra note 46, Art. 7 “Meaning of ‘earlier trademark’“ (Para. (1)(b)).
Agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS).
United Drug Co. v Theodore Rectanus Co., 248 U.S. 90, 101 (1918).
Haggar Int’l Corp. v. United Co. for Food Indus. Corp., 906 F. Supp. 2d 96, 130 (E.D.N.Y 2012) (discussing the “prior use defense”); 15 U.S.C. § 1115(b)(5)–(6).
One Indus., LLC v. Jim O’Neal Distrib., Inc., 578 F.3d 1154, 1158 (9th Cir. 2009).
Brookfield Commc’ns, Inc. v. W. Coast Entm’t Corp., 174 F.3d 1036, 1047 (9th Cir. 1999).
Sengoku Works Ltd. v. RMC Int’l, Ltd., 96 F.3d 1217, 1219 (9th Cir. 1996) 
Hana Fin., Inc. v. Hana Bank, 135 S. Ct. 907, 909 (2015).
Zasu Designs v. L’Oreal S.A., 979 F.2d 499, 503 (7th Cir. 1992).
Quicksilver, Inc. v. Kymsta Corp., 466 F.3d 749, 756 (9th Cir. 2006).
Fifth Ave. of Long Island Realty Assocs. v. Caruso Mgmt. Co., 718 F. Supp. 2d 292 (E.D.N.Y. 2010).
Beijing Zhong Chuang Oriental Education Technology Co Ltd v Beijing Haidian Qi Hang Educational Training School, Beijing IP Court, (2015).
Lin Mingkai v Chengdu Wuhou District Fu Yun Furniture Business Department, No. 43 Minzai (SPC. 2018).
Hydro Dynamics V. George Putnum&co (1978). Appeal No. 86-1184. 811 F.2d 1470. 1 U.S.P.Q.2d 1772.
Hana Fin., Inc. v. Hana Bank, 135 S. Ct. 907, 909 (2015).
Quicksilver, Inc. v. Kymsta Corp., 466 F.3d 749, 756 (9th Cir. 2006).
Zasu Designs v. L’Oreal S.A., 979 F.2d 499, 503 (7th Cir. 1992).
Orto C6nserviera Sameranqse di Giacchetti Marino & Co. v. Bioconserve, S.R.L., 49 U.S.P.Q.2d 2013 (S.D.N.Y. '1999) affd 205 F.3d 1324 (2d Cir. 2000).