NORTON COMPANY v. BEAR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, Patent Appeal No. 8453.

• Decision Date: 11 March 1971
• Docket Number: Patent Appeal No. 8453.
• Citation: 438 F.2d 620
• Court: U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (CCPA)
• Parties: NORTON COMPANY, Appellant, v. BEAR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, Appellee.

438 F.2d 620 (1971)

NORTON COMPANY, Appellant, v. BEAR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, Appellee.

Patent Appeal No. 8453.

United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.

March 11, 1971.

Edward M. Prince, Washington, D. C. (Cushman, Darby & Cushman), Washington, D. C., attorney of record, for appellant; C. Willard Hayes, Washington, D. C., James Spool, Niskayuna, N. Y., of counsel.

James M. Parker, Thomas R. Juettner, Chicago, Ill. (Gary, Parker, Juettner, Pigott & Cullinan), Chicago, Ill., for appellee.

Before RICH, ALMOND, BALDWIN, LANE, Judges, and FORD, Judge, United States Customs Court, sitting by designation.

LANE, Judge.

This appeal is from the decision of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, 157 USPQ 634 (1968), sustaining appellee's oppositions to appellant's registration of the mark BEAR¹ and of a design mark consisting of a bear's head² as reproduced in the board opinion, 157 USPQ at 635, both for "mineral oil, namely, a general-purpose lubricating and sharpening oil." We affirm.

Appellee based its oppositions on likelihood of confusion between the marks sought to be registered and its prior use of the mark BEAR-LUBE and of a design mark consisting of a laughing, standing bear, also reproduced in the board's opinion at page 635, for steering-column lubricants in both grease and liquid forms. These lubricants contain approximately 80-85% mineral oil.

Appellant advances several contentions here, all of which were raised before the board and, in our opinion, correctly decided by the board. We find it necessary to discuss only one of these contentions, i. e., that the goods involved are of such different character and move in such different channels of trade that confusion is unlikely.

Appellant points out that appellee has used its marks only on steering-gear lubricants, which it sold in fluid form in quart, gallon and five-gallon cans, and in grease form in 10, 25 and 120-pound cans and in drums up to 450 pounds. Appellant's oil, sold in 3-ounce, 1-pint and 1-quart containers, has more general uses. The record reveals that appellant's BEAR oil is

recommended for use in the home, office, factory and institutions, for sharpening operations including all BEAR Brand Stones, MULTI-OIL-STONES and MICROTOME Sharpeners. Also preferred for lubricating hinged or moving parts of hand tools, locks, casters, power tools, mechanical and electrical appliances, sewing machines, sport gear and toys.

The description of goods in appellant's applications is...