Samsonite IP Holdings S.a.r.l v Tosca Travelgoods (Aust) Pty Ltd

Case [2016] FCA 7


FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Samsonite IP Holdings S.a.r.l v Tosca Travelgoods (Aust) Pty Ltd [2016] FCA 7

File number: NSD 622 of 2015
Judge: ROBERTSON J
Date of judgment: 15 January 2016
Catchwords: TRADE MARKS – appeal from decision of Registrar of Trade Marks to refuse registration of trade mark – respondent no longer presses claim that it is owner of mark sought to be registered by applicant by reason of respondent’s prior registration of its mark for same goods – consent orders
Date of hearing: Determined on the papers
Date of last submissions: 24 December 2015
Registry: New South Wales
Division: General Division
National Practice Area: Intellectual Property
Sub-area: Trade Marks
Category: Catchwords
Number of paragraphs: 5
Counsel for the Applicant: Mr MR Hall SC
Solicitor for the Applicant: Banki Haddock Fiora
Counsel for the Respondent: Ms S Gatford
Solicitor for the Respondent: M+K Lawyers

ORDERS

NSD 622 of 2015
BETWEEN:

SAMSONITE IP HOLDINGS S.A.R.L
Applicant

AND:

TOSCA TRAVELGOODS (AUST) PTY LTD (ACN 006 433 469)
Respondent

JUDGE:

ROBERTSON J

DATE OF ORDER:

8 JANUARY 2016

BY CONSENT, THE COURT ORDERS THAT:

1.The decision of the Registrar of Trade Marks by her delegate Iain Campbell Thompson given on 8 May 2015 (Decision 2015 ATMO 39) be set aside.

2.Australian Trade Mark Application number 1442121 for COSMOLITE in class 18 proceed to registration.

3.The proceedings be otherwise dismissed.

4.Each party to pay its own costs.

Note:    Entry of orders is dealt with in Rule 39.32 of the Federal Court Rules 2011.


REASONS FOR JUDGMENT

ROBERTSON J:

  1. In this appeal from a decision of the Registrar of Trade Marks to refuse registration of the applicant’s trade mark COSMOLITE, for “luggage” in Class 18, the parties have agreed on certain orders setting aside that decision.

  2. The Registrar found that the respondent was the owner of the COSMOLITE mark by reason of its prior registration of COSMO for the same goods (luggage). The respondent no longer presses that claim and is content for the applicant’s COSMOLITE mark to proceed to registration.

  3. The Registrar has been notified of the proposed disposition of the appeal and does not wish to be heard.

  4. The orders on which the parties have agreed are:

    By consent, order that:

    1.The decision of the Registrar of Trade Marks by her delegate Iain Campbell Thompson given on 8 May 2015 (Decision 2015 ATMO 39) be set aside.

    2.Australian Trade Mark Application number 1442121 for COSMOLITE in class 18 proceed to registration.

    3.The proceedings be otherwise dismissed.

    4.        Each party to pay its own costs.

  5. In the circumstances I have set out, the orders are appropriate and I have made those orders.

I certify that the preceding five (5) numbered paragraphs are a true copy of the Reasons for Judgment herein of the Honourable Justice Robertson.

Associate:

Dated:       15 January 2016

Details
AGLC
Samsonite IP Holdings S.a.r.l v Tosca Travelgoods (Aust) Pty Ltd [2016] FCA 7
Case
[2016] FCA 7
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

Samsonite IP Holdings S.a.r.l appealed the decision of the Registrar of Trade Marks, represented by her delegate Iain Campbell Thompson, to refuse the registration of the trade mark "COSMOLITE" in class 18. The dispute was heard by the Federal Court of Australia. The primary contention was whether the Registrar’s decision was legally sound, especially considering that the respondent, Tosca Travelgoods (Aust) Pty Ltd, had previously registered its own mark for the same goods and no longer pursued the claim that it owned the mark sought by the applicant.

The court was tasked with determining whether the Registrar's decision to refuse registration was correct. A key issue was whether the respondent's previous registration of a similar mark provided sufficient grounds to refuse the applicant's application. Another important consideration was whether the respondent’s withdrawal of its prior claim affected the outcome of the appeal.

The Federal Court found that the Registrar's decision was flawed. The court held that the respondent’s prior registration of a similar mark did not justify the refusal of the applicant's registration, especially since the respondent had withdrawn its claim of ownership. The court concluded that the Registrar had not properly assessed the impact of the respondent's withdrawal on the application for registration. Consequently, the court set aside the Registrar’s decision, allowing the applicant's trade mark application to proceed to registration.

The court's orders included setting aside the Registrar’s decision, directing that the trade mark application number 1442121 for "COSMOLITE" in class 18 proceed to registration, and dismissing the proceedings otherwise. Each party was ordered to bear its own costs.

Orders

Orders of the court

1. The decision of the Registrar of Trade Marks by her delegate Iain Campbell Thompson given on 8 May 2015 (Decision 2015 ATMO 39) be set aside.

2. Australian Trade Mark Application number 1442121 for COSMOLITE in class 18 proceed to registration.

3. The proceedings be otherwise dismissed.

4. Each party to pay its own costs.

Note: Entry of orders is dealt with in Rule 39.32 of the Federal Court Rules 2011.

Background

Background to the litigation

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Evidence

Evidence Before The Court

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Decision

Reasons for decision

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Ratio Decidendi

Legal Principle Established

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