The Complainant could not satisfy the bad faith and
legitimate interest criteria and the Complaint was therefore dismissed.
The Complainant is One Group LLC, which owns and operates a
popular chain of restaurants using the STK trade-mark in the USA. They also own the STK trade-mark in
Canada. The Registrant is Gouverneur
Inc. and they operate hotels in Quebec. The Registrant initiated opposition
proceedings as it relates to the Complainant’s STK registered trade-mark, which
is still awaiting a decision. The
Registrant argues that the Complainant is not using the trade-mark in Canada,
that it has taken steps to register its STK mark in Canada (application is
based on proposed use and is currently pending) and that it therefore has a
legitimate interest in the STK trade-mark.
The Panel found that the Registrant is taking common, appropriate and
reasonable steps, and this is certainly not one of the cases where a Registrant
is preying on the trade-mark of others.
You can read the decision here.
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