Case Law[2022] ZASCA 150South Africa
Golden Fried Chicken (Pty) Ltd v Vlachos and Another (497/2021) [2022] ZASCA 150 (3 November 2022)
Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa
3 November 2022
Headnotes
Summary: Intellectual Property – Trade Marks Act 194 of 1993 – infringement proceedings – registered mark – test for deception or confusion under s 34(1)(a) of Trade Marks Act – sufficient distinction between the marks – deception or confusion not established.
Judgment
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## Golden Fried Chicken (Pty) Ltd v Vlachos and Another (497/2021) [2022] ZASCA 150 (3 November 2022)
Golden Fried Chicken (Pty) Ltd v Vlachos and Another (497/2021) [2022] ZASCA 150 (3 November 2022)
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sino date 3 November 2022
THE
SUPREME COURT OF APPEAL OF SOUTH AFRICA
### JUDGMENT
JUDGMENT
Not
Reportable
Case
no: 497/2021
In
the matter between:
GOLDEN
FRIED CHICKEN (PTY) LTD
APPELLANT
and
DINO
VLACHOS
FIRST RESPONDENT
SOUL
SOUVLAKI (PTY)
LTD
SECOND RESPONDENT
Neutral citation:
Golden Fried Chicken (Pty) Ltd
v Vlachos and Another
(497/2021)
[2022] ZASCA 150
(3 November 2022)
Coram:
PETSE AP, MAKGOKA, GORVEN AND MABINDLA-BOQWANA JJA and BASSON
AJA
Heard
:
2 September 2022
Delivered
:
3 November 2022
Summary:
Intellectual Property –
Trade Marks Act 194 of 1993
–
infringement proceedings – registered mark – test for
deception or confusion under
s 34(1)
(a)
of
Trade Marks
Act – sufficient
distinction between the marks –
deception or confusion not established.
###
### ORDER
ORDER
On
appeal from:
Gauteng Division of the High Court, Johannesburg
(Yacoob J sitting as court of first instance):
The
appeal is dismissed with costs.
# JUDGMENT
JUDGMENT
Gorven
JA (Petse AP, Makgoka and Mabindla-Boqwana JJA and Basson AJA
concurring)
[1]
This appeal concerns the alleged infringement of a registered trade
mark
under the Trade Marks Act 194 of 1993 (the Act). The parties
trade in food services in the restaurant sector. The appellant,
Golden
Fried Chicken (Pty) Ltd, trades as ‘Chicken Licken’
through a number of food outlets. It began trading in 1981. It has
registered the words ‘Soul’ and ‘Soul Food’
under classes 29, 30, 35 and 43 of the Act. They are used extensively
in its branding. It is only the registration in class 43 as a service
trade mark which remains relevant in this appeal.
[2]
The first respondent, Mr Dino Vlachos, is the guiding mind behind the
second respondent, Soul Souvlaki (Pty) Ltd, which has traded in Greek
food from two outlets under the name ‘Soul Souvlaki’
since 2012. The second respondent has applied to register the
trademark ‘Soul Souvlaki’ in classes 35 and 43. Although
there was some dispute as to the joinder of the first respondent, the
two respondents made common cause and, for the sake of convenience,
I
shall refer to them jointly as the respondents unless it is necessary
to distinguish them.
[3]
The appellant regards the use by the respondents of ‘Soul
Souvlaki’
as infringing its mark. It accordingly approached the
Gauteng Division of the High Court, Johannesburg (the high court) to
interdict
the respondents from doing so. This was met by a
counter-application to remove the trade marks of the appellant from
the register
in all four classes as being non-distinctive. The high
court dismissed both the application and counter-application with
costs
and refused the appellant leave to appeal. The respondents
sought leave to cross-appeal. The high court said that the
application
for leave to cross-appeal was conditional and held that
it was therefore unnecessary to decide it. This Court granted the
appellant
leave to appeal against the dismissal of its application.
The respondent did not pursue its application for leave to
cross-appeal.
This renders final the judgment on the
counter-application.
[4]
Paragraph 1 of the Notice of Motion had sought interdicts against the
respondents restraining them from infringing the marks of the
appellant in classes 29, 30, 35 and 43 along with the usual ancillary
relief. Before us, the appellant abandoned any relief in all but the
registrations in class 43. The registration of the ‘Soul’
mark in the various classes took place in 1994, 1996 and 2001,
whereas the ‘Soul Food’ mark was registered in 2001.
It
should be mentioned that, before us, the appellant did not develop
its argument concerning the ‘Soul Food’ mark.
It
contented itself with limiting its submissions to ‘Soul’.
[5]
The relief now sought is limited to that under s 34(1)
(a)
of the Act which reads:
‘
(1) The
rights acquired by registration of a trade mark shall be infringed
by-
(a)
the unauthorised use in the course of trade in relation to goods or
services in respect of which the trade mark is registered,
of an
identical mark or of a mark so nearly resembling it as to be likely
to deceive or cause confusion.’
[1]
It
has been held that in order to succeed in an infringement claim under
s 34(1)
(a)
, the appellant had to establish:
‘
(i)
its trade mark registrations; (ii) unauthorised use in the course of
trade by the respondent of an identical mark or a mark
so nearly
resembling its registered trade mark as to be likely to deceive or
cause confusion; and (iii) in relation to the goods
in respect of
which the mark is registered.’
[2]
The
trade mark of the appellant is registered in relation to services
which cover: ‘Restaurants, snack bars, cafes, fast food
outlets, canteens and roadhouses; services connected with the sale
and distribution of foodstuffs and refreshments; catering.’
The
respondents’ mark relates to two food outlets which fall within
this class. Their use takes place in the course of trade
and is not
authorised by the appellant. It is therefore the balance of the
second of the requirements set out above which had to
be established
by the appellant. That is, use of ‘
an
identical mark or a mark so nearly resembling its registered trade
mark as to be likely to deceive or cause confusion’.
This
appeal turns on whether the appellant established this.
[6]
A trade
mark serves as a badge of origin of the services offered.
[3]
Persons seeing the mark can rest assured that the appellant is the
source of the services offered under it. For that reason, a
trademark
constitutes a monopoly. Due, no doubt, to a trade mark functioning as
a monopoly, it cannot ‘be interpreted to
give greater
protection than that which is necessary for attaining the purpose of
a trade mark registration, namely protecting
the mark as a badge of
origin’.
[4]
The proper
approach to this assessment was set out by this Court:
‘
What
is, accordingly, required is an interpretation of the mark through
the eyes of the consumer as used by the alleged infringer.
If the use
creates the impression of a material link between the product and the
owner of the mark there is infringement; otherwise
there is not.’
[5]
[7]
If the
marks were identical, the use of the impugned mark is taken to
deceive and confuse.
[6]
The
appellant submitted that this was the case, seeking support for that
contention in
Commercial
Auto Glass
.
[7]
In that matter the appellant had listed cars which its windscreens
would fit. In doing so, it used the BMW mark without authorisation.
The defence in that matter was not that the marks were not identical
but that the appellant was simply informing customers that
those
particular windscreens could be used on those BMW cars. As a result,
it said, it was not using the lettering on its windscreens
as trade
marks. This Court rejected that contention. To meet the submission
that the marks in the present matter were identical,
the respondents
called in aid the matter of
Century
City Apartments Property Services CC and Another v Century City
Property Owners’ Association
(
Century
City
).
[8]
In that matter, this Court referred with approval to the European
Court of Justice when it held that ‘(t)he criterion of
the
identity of the sign and the trademark must be interpreted strictly.
The very definition of identity implies that the two elements
compared should be the same in all respects’.
[9]
[8]
Only one aspect of the two marks is identical; the word ‘Soul’.
But even though this element forms part of the respondent’s
mark, the word ‘Souvlaki’ is not common to them.
In
Century City
, this Court found that the marks ‘Century
City’ and ‘Century City Apartments’ were not
identical. This
applies equally to the comparison between ‘Soul’
and ‘Soul Souvlaki’. The marks are not identical.
[9]
The question, then, is whether the appellant made out a case under
the
second aspect. Here the appellant bore the onus of proving the
probability of deception or confusion. As was said by this Court
:
‘
There
can only be primary trade mark infringement if it is established that
consumers are likely to interpret the mark,
as
it is used by the third party
,
as designating or tending to designate the undertaking from which
the third party's goods originate.’
[10]
This
dictum applies equally to services. It is
important to
recognise what should be compared:
‘
[In]
considering the question of infringement the Court should have regard
not only to the plaintiff's actual use of his registered
mark, but
also to notional use, that is to all possible fair and normal
applications of the mark within the ambit of the monopoly
created by
the terms of the registration’.
[11]
The
actual and notional use of the owner is then compared to the actual
use by the alleged usurper to establish whether or not there
has been
infringement.
[10]
As
mentioned, the registration under class 43 relates to services
including: ‘Restaurants, snack bars, cafes, fast food outlets,
canteens and roadhouses; services connected with the sale and
distribution of foodstuffs and refreshments; catering.’ The
appellant is thus entitled to use the mark in any of these
undertakings, irrespective of past and present uses. If it does so,
its trade mark affords it protection against infringement.
The
only rider is ‘
that
one has to assume reasonable notional use by a trademark owner’.
[12]
The appellant thus correctly submitted that in the comparative
exercise between the registered and impugned marks, the services
in
respect of which the registered mark were actually used are
‘completely irrelevant’.
[11]
Our courts
have consistently applied the test set out in
Plascon-Evans
Paints Ltd v Van Riebeeck Paints (Pty) Ltd
[13]
for the approach to s 34(1)
(a)
.
It is not necessary to repeat that entire passage since it was summed
up in
Bata
:
‘
It
suffices to say that not only should the marks be compared side by
side but consideration must be given to whether the average
customer
in the marketplace would probably be deceived or confused by their
similarity. Corbett JA made it clear that the main
or dominant
features of the marks in question as well as the general
impression and any striking features were all factors
to be
considered in deciding whether there was a likelihood of confusion or
deception.’
[14]
When
applying the similar test in
Adidas
to the present matter, the
approach is:
‘
The
onus
can
be discharged by showing that there is a likelihood that a
substantial number of people who . . . are interested in
[restaurants]
will be confused as to whether the [respondents’
restaurants] are the [restaurants] of the [appellant], or as to the
existence or non-existence of a material connection between the
[respondents’ restaurants] and the [appellant as an operator
of
restaurants].’
[15]
[12]
No
disclaimer was required on registration of ‘Soul’.
[16]
In trade mark law the effect is that, for purposes of matters such as
this, unless or until that mark is expunged, it must be accepted
that
‘Soul’ is inherently distinctive and, in the case of
those registrations after 1994, capable of distinguishing
by reason
of the prior use thereof. This is despite the word ‘soul’
being in common, everyday use.
[13]
In the present matter, there is no dispute that ‘Soul Souvlaki’
is a trade
mark. Indeed, the respondents sought registration of that
mark. In opposing the merits of the main application, the respondents
relied on two bases. They first contended that the two marks were
‘visually, conceptually and phonetically different’.
As a
consequence, they submitted, there was no likelihood of deception or
confusion caused by the use of their mark. Secondly,
they claimed
that the businesses of the appellant and the second respondent
differed substantially from each other. It is clear
from what has
been said above about notional use that the second of these is of no
moment.
[14]
In
Century
City
,
this Court referred to
Compass
Publishing BV v Compass Logistics Ltd
,
[17]
and explained:
‘
The
registered mark was the word “Compass” in relation,
in simplified terms, to computer and computer-related services.
The
defendant traded in the same fields under the name Compass Logistics.
After pointing out that the two marks were not identical
in the light
of
LTJ Diffusion SA v Sadas Vertbaudet SA
the court
proceeded to consider whether they were confusingly similar. Laddie J
said this (paras 24 - 25):
“
[24]
. . . The likelihood of confusion must be appreciated globally,
taking account of all relevant factors. It must be judged through
the
eyes of the average consumer of the goods or services in question.
That customer is to be taken to be reasonably well
informed and
reasonably circumspect and observant, but he may have to rely upon an
imperfect picture or recollection of the marks.
The court should
factor in the recognition that the average consumer normally
perceives a mark as a whole and does not analyse
its various details.
The visual, aural and conceptual similarities of the marks must be
assessed by reference to the overall impressions
created by the marks
bearing in mind their distinctive and dominant components.
Furthermore, if the association between the
marks causes the
public to wrongly believe that the respective goods come from the
same or economically linked undertakings, there
is a likelihood of
confusion.
[25]
Applying those considerations to the facts of this case, there can be
little doubt that a likelihood of confusion exists between
the
Defendant's use of the sign or mark COMPASS LOGISTICS in relation to
its business consultancy services and the notional use
of the mark
COMPASS used in relation to business consultancy services, including
those in relation to which the Defendant specialises.
The dominant
part of the Defendant's mark is the word compass. For many customers,
the word logistics would add little of significance
to it. It alludes
to the type of area of consultancy in which the services are carried
out.”’
[18]
This
Court then applied the notional use test in
Century City
:
‘
This
means that one has to assume reasonable notional use by a trademark
owner of the name Century City for purposes of providing
services for
reserving and maintaining accommodation at apartments. The
appellant's use of Century City Apartments would to my
mind have
given rise to the likelihood of confusion.’
[19]
[15]
The question before us is whether notional customers would associate
restaurant services
called ‘Soul Souvlaki’ with those of
the appellant if the latter was trading in the same market and
selling Greek cuisine
under the name ‘Soul’. Put
differently, in that scenario, would the use of the mark ‘Soul
Souvlaki’ be
likely to lead to deception or confusion in the
minds of a substantial number of customers? This is the crisp issue
as I see it.
[16]
The
appellant set great store by
PepsiCo
v Atlantic Industries
.
[20]
In that matter, Atlantic had registered the marks ‘Twist’,
‘Lemon Twist’ and ‘Diet Twist’.
Pepsico,
which had registered the marks ‘Pepsi’ and ‘Pepsi-Cola’,
applied to register the mark ‘Pepsi
Twist’ as both a word
and a device mark in the same class as those of Atlantic. Atlantic
opposed the registration whereupon
Pepsico applied for the
expungement of the marks of Atlantic. The expungement application was
refused but the court of first instance
upheld Pepsico’s
application to register the mark ‘Pepsi Twist’. The full
court upheld the appeal of Atlantic
and set aside the order allowing
Pepsico to register the mark. This Court dismissed the appeal against
the order of the full court
on the basis that such registration would
be likely to cause confusion among a substantial number of consumers.
It held that this
conclusion was strengthened by the fact that
‘Twist’ is non-descriptive and thus ‘has the same
ability as the
made-up word ‘Pepsi’ to be memorable and
distinguishing.’
[21]
[17]
The
respondents urged us to take into account that there are a number of
pending applications for registration of marks containing
‘Soul’
in combination with other words. They contended that this would serve
to show that confusion is unlikely to
arise with the appellant’s
mark. Reliance for this submission was placed on three matters:
Distillers
Corporation (SA) Ltd v SA Breweries Ltd and Another; Oude Meester
Groep Bpk and Another v SA Breweries Ltd
(
Distillers
);
[22]
Dinnermates
(Tvl) CC v Piquante Brands International and Another
(
Dinnermates
)
;
[23]
and
Bata
.
[24]
[18]
In
Distillers
, evidence that some 50 marks on the register
contained the word ‘Master’ or ‘Meester’ as
part of the mark
was admissible as one of the factors to determine
distinctiveness. And in
Dinnermates
,
this Court held:
‘
[T]
he
respondents are not the only entity using the word PEPPA as its
prominent element. There are other trade marks such as PICKAPEPPA
and
PEPPAMELT. These trade marks predate the respondents’ marks.
Proprietors or owners of these trade marks have rightly
not claimed
exclusive use of the word PEPPA. In my view the use of the word PEPPA
by other entities dispels the notion that the
respondents have the
exclusivity or monopoly in the prefix PEPPA. I can see no reason why
the respondents’ trade mark cannot
coexist with the appellant’s
trade mark.’
[25]
Finally,
in
Bata
, evidence was led that there were numerous trade mark
registrations in South Africa in respect of clothing which included
the word
‘Power’. In all three matters, the complaint
that the competing mark deceived and confused was rejected.
[19]
The comparison drawn by the respondents with those matters does not
hold water. Put simply,
in the present matter, the applications for
registration of the mark ‘Soul’ are still pending. Unlike
in those three
matters, there are not a number of competing marks
using the word ‘Soul’. The respondents pointed to the
evidence that,
in addition to the pending applications for
registration, some 200 registered companies contain the word ‘Soul’
in
their names. And 300 registered companies have names beginning
with ‘Soul’. The frequency of use in the marketplace
might be relevant on some level. In the view I take of the matter,
however, it is not necessary to decide this point.
[20]
I see the present matter as distinguishable from that of
Century
City
. As I have indicated, this Court there held that, if the
respondent trade mark owner used the name ‘Century City for
purposes
of providing services for reserving and maintaining
accommodation of apartments . . . (the) appellant’s use of
Century City
Apartments would to my mind have given rise to the
likelihood of confusion.’ If, in the present matter, the
respondents used
the mark ‘Soul Restaurants’ the same
reasoning would undoubtedly apply. That, however, is not the case.
The question
remains whether it can be said that, if the appellant
used the mark ‘Soul’ in restaurant services providing
Greek cuisine,
customers would view the appellant as the source of
the services offered under the trade mark ‘Soul Souvlaki’.
[21]
This brings
into focus the marks themselves. The appellant submitted that, since
PepsiCo dealt with two non-descriptive marks, ‘Pepsi’
and
‘Twist’, the use of ‘Soul Souvlaki’ by the
respondents was even more likely to cause deception or confusion.
This was so, it said, because the word ‘souvlaki’ appears
in South African dictionaries, has a meaning and is therefore
descriptive. It is correct that ‘souvlaki’ is defined in
the Concise Oxford Dictionary.
[26]
It is defined as ‘a Greek dish of pieces of meat grilled on a
skewer’ and the word is said to originate from modern
Greek.
But this does not necessarily mean that it functions as descriptive
without evidence of widespread knowledge of that word
among South
African restaurant customers. It is not used in the mark to describe
the services of the respondents since a range
of Greek dishes, and
not only souvlaki, is on offer at their outlets. It certainly does
not function as descriptive on the same
level as do ‘Lemon’
or ‘Diet’.
[22]
A
comparison of the marks must be undertaken. In
Bata
,
[27]
the appellant had registered a number of trade marks including the
word mark ‘Power’ and the combination of ‘Power’
and a device mark in relation to footwear and articles of clothing.
Those marks likewise are distinctive as having been registered.
The
first respondent used the marks ‘Power House’ or
‘Powerhouse’, mostly accompanied by a distinctive
dog
device. The appellant sought to restrain them on the basis that their
use infringed three of the appellant’s marks under
s 34(1)
(a)
of the Act. Dealing first with the word ‘Power’, this
Court said:
‘
It
is an ordinary word in everyday use, as distinct from an invented or
made-up word, and it cannot follow that confusion would
probably
arise if it is used in combination with another word.’
[28]
And:
‘
What
has to be considered, therefore, is whether the notional customer of
average intelligence, viewing the marks as a whole or
looking at the
dominant features of each mark, is likely to be confused or deceived
into believing that clothing bearing the words
“Power House”
have a connection in the course of trade with the “Power”
trade mark.’
[29]
The
conclusion was:
‘
It
is not possible to ignore the word “House” in the first
respondent's mark. I have considerable difficulty in imagining
that
the notional purchaser of the first respondent's clothing would focus
attention only on the word “Power”. The
word “House”
is as significant as the word “Power” and the two
words used together sufficiently distinguish
the first respondent's
clothing from that of the appellant.’
[30]
[23]
Similar
reasoning applied in
Lucky
Star
[31]
where, having referred to
Bata
,
this Court said:
‘
In
my view, the common elements of the appellant’s and the
respondents’ marks being the word “Lucky” is
of
minor significance when the marks are looked at as a whole. The word
“Fish” as opposed to the word “Star”
is
distinctive and cannot be ignored. When the marks are compared side
by side, and the main or dominant features of the marks
are
considered, namely the words “Star” and “Fish”,
there is no likelihood of deception or confusion.’
[32]
[24]
As in
Bata
, the word ‘Soul’ is a common word
in everyday use. The appellant based its choice on specific uses in
the wider context,
saying:
‘
The
meaning the SOUL brand communicates to Applicant’s consumers is
of African cool, a pride in an Afrocentric heritage typified
by
success against adversity, a rising above racial prejudice and
stereotypes where “blackness” is not a shortcoming
but a
positive advantage.
The
sense of self validity was typified in the 1960s in the United States
by the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Malcolm
X and the
great “soul” singing artists such as Percy Sledge, Isaac
Hayes, Barry White, Otis Redding, Whitney Houston,
Dusty Springfield
and Ertha Kitt . . . .’
From
this it is clear that the appellant chose its mark in a specific
social context in which the word had meaning.
[25]
In this matter, the word ‘Souvlaki’ is at least as
significant as the word
‘Soul’. It strikes me, if
anything, as the more dominant of the two. It certainly cannot be
ignored. When the marks
are compared side by side, the word
‘Souvlaki’ clearly distinguishes the respondents’
mark from ‘Soul’.
In my estimation, the likelihood of
deception or confusion is far more remote than in the case of ‘Pepsi
Twist’ as
compared to ‘Lemon Twist’ or ‘Diet
Twist’. There, all the marks comprised two words. All were
prefixes.
All contained the same number of syllables. Here we have
the single word ‘Soul’. ‘Soul Souvlaki’ is
far
more likely to operate as did ‘Power House’ in
relation to ‘Power’ and ‘Lucky Fish’ in
relation
to ‘Lucky Star’. It is unlikely that the
notional restaurant customer would confuse it with a restaurant
called ‘Soul’.
[26]
In summary, therefore, the direct comparison between the marks shows
no likelihood of deception
or confusion. The fact that ‘Soul’
has social meaning beyond the distinctive meaning of the appellant’s
mark
also serves to dilute any likelihood of confusion between the
marks. In the light of all of these considerations, I do not view
the
respondents’ mark as so nearly resembling that of the appellant
as to be likely to deceive or confuse. In my view, accordingly,
the
mark ‘Soul Souvlaki’ sufficiently distinguishes the
respondents’ services from those of the appellant in
the
context of the restaurant and food sector. That being the case, the
appellant failed to establish infringement under the provisions
of
s 34(1)
(a)
of the Act.
[27]
It is trite that an appeal lies against the order of a court and not
its reasoning. In
the high court, the learned judge unfortunately
erred in several respects. She conflated trade mark and passing off
principles.
In doing so, she misdirected herself on the law. In
addition, she considered irrelevant issues. Despite this erroneous
approach
and reasoning, however, the application was rightly
dismissed. As a result, the appeal must likewise fail. There is no
reason why
the costs should not follow the result.
[28]
In the result, the appeal is dismissed with costs.
T
R GORVEN
JUDGE
OF APPEAL
Appearances
For
appellant:
R Michau SC
Instructed
by:
Ron Wheeldon Attorneys, Johannesburg
Webbers
Attorneys, Bloemfontein
For
respondents: P Cirone
Instructed
by:
Christodoulou & Mavrikis Incorporated, Johannesburg
Symington
& De Kok, Bloemfontein
[1]
An
alternative claim was framed under s 34(1)
(c)
of the Act which reads:
‘
the
unauthorised use in the course of trade in relation to any goods or
services of a mark which is identical or similar to a
trade mark
registered, if such trade mark is well known in the Republic and the
use of the said mark would be likely to take
unfair advantage of, or
be detrimental to, the distinctive character or the repute of the
registered trade mark, notwithstanding
the absence of confusion or
deception: Provided that the provisions of this paragraph shall not
apply to a trade mark referred
to in section 70 (2).’
This
aspect of the matter was not pressed in the appeal.
[2]
Lucky
Star Ltd v Lucky Brands (Pty) Ltd
[2016]
ZASCA 77
para 4. This related to goods but the same principles apply
to service marks. See also
Commercial
Auto Glass (Pty) Ltd v BMW AG
[2007]
SCA 96;
2007 (6) SA 637
(SCA)
[2007] 4 All SA 1331
(SCA) para 3.
[3]
Verimark
(Pty) Ltd v BMW AG; BMW AG v Verimark (Pty) Ltd
[2007]
ZASCA 53
;
2007 (6) SA 263
(SCA) para 5.
[4]
Ibid para 5.
[5]
Ibid
para 7.
[6]
Berman
Brothers (Pty) Ltd v Sodastream Ltd
1986
(3) SA 209
(A) at 232H-233A.
[7]
Commercial
Auto Glass
fn 2.
[8]
Century
City Apartments Property Services CC and Another v Century City
Property Owners
[2009] ZASCA 157; 2010 (3) SA 1 (SCA); [2010] 2 All SA 409 (SCA).
[9]
Ibid
para 12, citing
LTJ
Diffusion SA v Sadas Vertbaudet SA
[2003] ETMR 83
(European Trade Mark Reports) para 50.
[10]
Verimark
fn 3 para 5. Emphasis in the original.
[11]
Plascon-Evans
Paints Ltd v Van Riebeeck Paints (Pty) Ltd
[1984] ZASCA 51
;
1984 (3) SA 623
(A) at 641G-H, confirming the acceptance of Botha J
in
Adidas
Sportschuhfabriken Adi Dassler KG v Harry Walt & Co (Pty)
Ltd
1976
(1) SA 530
(T) at 535A-D of the approach set out in the matter
of
Lever
Brothers, Port Sunlight, Ltd
v.
Sunniwite
Products Ltd
(1949) 66 R.P.C. 84.
See also
Bata
Ltd v Face Fashions CC and Another
[2000] ZASCA 192
;
2001 (1) SA 844
(SCA para 7;
Puma
AG Rudolf Dassler Sport v Global Warming (Pty) Ltd
[2010]
ZASCA 140
;
2010
(2) SA 600
(SCA) para 10;
Lucky
Star Ltd v Lucky Brands (Pty) Ltd
[2016]
ZASCA 77
para 9.
[12]
Century
City
fn 8 para 14.
[13]
Plascon-Evans
at 640G-641D.
[14]
Bata
fn
11 para 9.
[15]
Adidas
fn 11 at 533C-E.
[16]
Section 15
of the Act provides:
‘
If
a trade mark contains matter which is not capable of distinguishing
within the meaning of section 9, the registrar or the court,
in
deciding whether the trade mark shall be entered in or shall remain
on the register, may require, as a condition of its being
entered in
or remaining on the register-
(a)
that
the proprietor shall disclaim any right to the exclusive use of all
or any portion of any such matter to the exclusive use
of which the
registrar or the court holds him not to be entitled; or
(b)
that
the proprietor shall make such other disclaimer or memorandum as the
registrar or the court may consider necessary for the
purpose of
defining his rights under the registration:
Provided
that no disclaimer or memorandum on the register shall affect any
rights of the proprietor of a trade mark except such
as arise out of
the registration of the trade mark in respect of which the
disclaimer is made.’
For
an illustration of a disclaimer see
Cochrane Steel Products (Pty)
Ltd v M-Systems Group
[2017] ZASCA 189.
[17]
Compass
Publishing BV v Compass Logistics Ltd
[2004]
EWHC 520
(Ch) ([2004] RPC 41).
[18]
Century
City
fn
8 para 13.
[19]
Ibid
para
14.
[20]
PepsiCo
v Atlantic Industries
[2017]
ZASCA 109.
[21]
Ibid
para 26.
[22]
Distillers
Corporation (SA) Ltd v SA Breweries Ltd and Another; Oude Meester
Groep Bpk and Another v SA Breweries Ltd
1976 (3) SA 514 (A).
[23]
Dinnermates
(Tvl) CC v Piquante Brands International and Another
[2018]
ZASCA 43.
[24]
Footnote
11.
[25]
Ibid
para 21.
[26]
Stevenson and Waite (eds)
Concise
Oxford English Dictionary
12 ed (2011) at 1381.
[27]
Bata
fn
11.
[28]
Ibid para 10.
[29]
Ibid para 11.
[30]
Ibid para 11.
[31]
Lucky
Star
fn 2.
[32]
Ibid
para 10.
sino noindex
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