Colombia – La marca ‘Juan Valdez’ declarada marca notoria

La Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) declaró recientemente a la marca de café colombiana ‘Juan Valdez' como marca notoria, confiriendo y prorrogando el status especial de dicha marca en el mercado colombiano.
 
Mediante Resolución No. 49475 del 23 de agosto de 2013, María José Lamus Becerra, directora de Signos Distintivos de la SIC, extendió la notoriedad de la marca Juan Valdez®, acogiéndose así a los argumentos de la Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (FNC)  dentro de la oposición al registro de una marca que buscaba imitar la marca “Juan Valdez”.
 
El 27 de diciembre del 2012, la firma Arriero Café Bar Restaurante S. A. S. solicitó a la SIC el registro -bajo la figura de marca mixta- del signo ‘Arriero Café’, al que la FNC se opuso argumentando que había falta de elementos distintivos en la imagen, la cual se podía confundir fácilmente con la de sus marcas Café de Colombia y Juan Valdez. 
 
De acuerdo con el comunicado de la FNC  la Directora de la SIC concluyó que “el signo Juan Valdez es conocido nacionalmente, excelentemente posicionado, de trayectoria, prestigio y buena reputación. Se trata de una marca con una altísima capacidad distintiva (…). Es un intangible preciado para su titular, que a explota, promueve, protege y proyecta constantemente, y por ende susceptible de protección como marca notoria”. 

La decisión de la SIC concluye manifestando que la imagen solicitada 'Arriero Café' evoca notoriamente a las marcas de la Federación, lo que podría generar riesgos de confusión en el consumidor.

Esta decisión de la SIC ratifica una previa declaración en la que la notoriedad de la marca ‘JUAN VALDEZ’ ya había sido declarada (2007).
 
La marca ‘JUAN VALDEZ’ también ha sido declarada una marca notoria en la Unión Europea, España y Costa Rica.

Más información aquí: Semana El Colombiano

SHOULDICE: Chile modifies trade mark opposition practice

With regard to oppositions and cancellation actions based on famous or notorious trade marks, oppositions against applications that contravened good business ethics, or oppositions against trade marks that were likely to mislead consumers as to the source of products, the former practice of the Chilean Institute of Industrial Property was to request that such actions be supported by either a trade mark registration or, at least, a trade mark application filed in Chile or abroad. In two decisions of 27 June, this doctrine was modified in respect of applications that were misleading or unfair, but was affirmed with regard to famous or notorious trade marks.

The two decisions of 27 June involved applications by one Urquhart to register as trade marks in Chile the words SHOULDICE and CLINICA SHOULDICE for a medical clinic specialising in the treatment of hernias. The applications were opposed by Shouldice Hospital, of Ontario, Canada, which argued that its trade mark was famous abroad, that registration of the mark in the name of a third party would mislead consumers and that registration of the mark would contravene business ethics. The hospital also cited Articles 6bis (misappropriation of a well-known mark) and 10bis (unfair competition) of the Paris Convention in support of its opposition. By way of evidence the hospital submitted documents demonstrating that Urquhart was a former director of the hospital, as well as press cuttings, copies of patient records and its own company reports -- but no domestic or foreign trade mark registrations or applications.

The opposition based on Article 6bis of the Paris Convention failed, since the Institute of Industrial Property still required that a trade mark on which an opposition is based be registered, whether in Chile or abroad. The opposition based on Article 10bis and on the provisions of local Chilean law was however upheld.

Source: "Institute of Industrial Property upholds oppositions based on unregistered mark" by Sergio Amenábar (Estudio Villaseca, Santiago, Chile) World Trademark Review, 3 August 2012

DELL establishes notoriety of reputation in Colombia opposition proceedings

The Colombian Trade Mark Office, in deciding on the registrability of the trade mark DELL for furniture in Class 20 of the Nice Classification, declared that the DELL mark was a 'notorious mark' that belonged to the US-based Dell Inc, and not to the trade mark applicant. This mark, said the office, was highly distinctive in the Colombian market for Dell's computer and technology products.

Dell sought a declaration of notoriety for its DELL mark in opposition proceedings against a Panamanian company's application to register the identical mark. To support its claim, Dell filed evidence regarding the sale and advertising of products sold under the DELL mark, in order to demonstrate the public's awareness of DELL-branded products within the relevant markets in the Colombian territory.

Having reached its conclusion, the Office added that:

the presence of the DELL mark in several publications -- whether general or specialised -- demonstrated the significance of the mark in connection with computer products; and

market studies showed that the DELL mark was the fourth most recognised mark on a national level.

All these findings were definite indicators of the positioning and reputation of the trade mark DELL in connection with computer and technology products.

Source: "DELL mark held to be notorious" by Fernando Triana and Grace Sutachan (Triana Uribe & Michelsen, Bogota), World Trademark Review, 26 July 2012