### OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

Hon. Tcm L. Beauuhamp Searetaryof State Austin,Texas


### Dear sir: Attentionor Hr. Claude

0plnfonNo. O-983

feet

are herein 8 on on the questionsea by this offiw. a8 follana: Brown, doing 

### in San Antonio, ed by ami1 to

7, this offioewrote I&. Brown cationwas not in order for the did not statehow long the been in we by him. The requiree length of time a trademarkhas :adepartmental

requireinent

and haa been in eiYeatia 'thfs Departmentfor a number of yeers. At the same time,we sdviaed ?Jr. Brown thatwe w&-e emlosing an application r0m 

### and that he aould rfii 

### out the row in 

### lieu of the application whiohwe were returning to him or he could oorreathis applicationSO. . .

. .

Iion. Tom L. IIeauohamp, Pa.~e .2

as to show how ions he trademark and/or trade had been usinS the name.

“On Yaroh 9, 1939, ws veoelved a letter from Yerlon D. Johnson, advortlslw agent of Dalrplend, Incorporated, of San .wtonlo, Texas, advlslry: 

### UC that she had noticed 1.7 the ‘San Antonio LlSht’ OS ?‘oroh 4 thct ‘it. 1:. Brown Dairy had rlled wlth the County Clerk of Bexar Cunty a facsimile of a proposed trademark and trade name and thut it contained the phrase ‘The Brlrhtest 3,ar in the !‘llky ?laay(, that this phrase had been copyAChted by Dairyland, Incorporated, and that said Vademrk and trade name had been filed in the CopyrlCht Cfflce of the

‘Federal Covernmcnt in “ashln+on, D. C., end that Dairyland, Incorporated had been uoln~ the trade ncmo and trademark since February 21, 1936, and attached to this letter was a ollpplny, from u Fort ?:orth newspaper puhlls::ed on February 21, 1936. !.!arlon D. Johnson, on behalf of Dairyland, Tacor?omted, protested ay,alnst this office approving and flllnC the prOpOSed trade 

### name and trademark pre;enti:d by i7. K:. Brown 

### !hlry.

“On Yaroh 9, 1939, vie advised !ferlon D. Johnson thet our reoords did not show that euch a trade 

### wime or trademark using the phrase ‘The &l&test Star In the E’llky ‘

.‘!ay’ had been apeqoved and filed in this office.

“On !‘aroh 10, 1939, this office received the appllcutlcn of Yelrylond, Incorporated to have reClst.ored as ti trademrk ‘The Drl@test Star in the T’llky Yay’, which application lo attached hereto and zarked Zxhlblt ‘W and Is attached to Exhibit *&*. -On l’arch 13, 1939, the corrected appllcetlon 0r the :;. I:. Bxwn Pair? was received, which appllcttlofi ic attacked hereto and rarkcd Exhlblt ‘C’

.

### Hon. Tom L. Reauohamp,Page 3

With all these featsbefore 

### this offioe. It was deoldedthat Dairyland,Inoorporeted had been using thls trade name and trademark since Febru ry 81, 1956 and thatV. K. 

### Brown Dairyhad used it since the 2nd day of Karoh, 1939, or approximately ten days beSore the date we receivedtheir oorreated 

### epplioatlon for 

### registration

of the trademark. Believingthat the party havingpriorityof use was entitled to have prerereneein the registrationof the trademark,

we approvedend filed 

### on March 17, 1939, the epplioatlon or Dairyland,Inoorporated and returned,refused,the applicationof a. B. Brown Daily. Tie desirethat you edflseus upon the follwing questions: '(1)Under the above faots, did this office err in epprow and filing the epplioation ror registration of the trademark *The. BrightestStar in the Milky Way* by Dairyland, Inoorpozated? w(2) If you have answered .the above queotion *yes',then adviseus if we are authortied to oenoelthe regfstratlon'of Dairyland,

ShpIMaEporeted." hrtioles844, &Q1 an4 331, RevisedCivil Statutes readas follwo:

UArt. 844. Any person, firm or aorporation engnged 

### in the delrylngbusiness,or in the distribution

or sale of mix?&

requiringthe

**we** 

### of bottles,may file in th&orfioe of the county clerk of the oounty in whioh it is expectedsuchperson, fina or corporation will sell or distribute milk,, a fee~simileor dewription or the name or nmues, trade name* mark or designused by,suahperson, fina or 

### oorporationfor advertisingpurposes,and aeuse such fee sfmileor deeerlptionto be publishedin a publlonewspaperpublishedin su& oountyfor three sueeasaivs weeke, and the act of filingand publioationahall operate to secure to auoh de&pen, 

### tilk dls-' trlbutoror ,Bsilk

dealer,sole and eaolusiveright $9 use ,ln eaid oountt_or oquntiee, aaid name or namee; btradS ~wne:aa~k or desiun. ~APt:847.,~ Any gez+& 

### firi~or:ior$tiation‘engagdd ln.t$e dui~~iag'bidnes8~oT. the 6ale or distrlbution'of tiilki.I$o'eheiI -h&a 

### filedwith thb 

### dounty'blerlt‘?of .tlje ooti+$ in- nh-ioh theymiy be 

### enti$ed .fn 

### the dle,tr;ibtiiti or stile ‘of ~~ilk,~ a U~UZI~ ‘q ~.nme,lj‘,

### trade ‘&me, markor design ~a8herein prtMdsd; m6’y~oatie~ to be-engraved, etched, bl,pwn in 

### or impresrBd 

### OF ?>hemlee'prodiiced upoq .t he, Ifottlds

ouhql by said porson,'flm or corporation su.oh WIQW or numes; trade mm~e, n&k' 'or .ti~+iz, 'snd when 

### ouch mm 0.r names,.trade pame, mark or de8tin **lo .a@**  impqsoaep -tipon a l5ottla~ such 

### bottle ishall'be prlma'facle the property of the pereon, ~.$.x-JI

or qorportatiq whio.h, ray anpear ~upon the rec~rd.~f.the dff%cp'i$.'$I$e ocqt i&rk qf. s)rch. EorlqCy to ,y'$p .amptf .f$'pc ..paPs or .Q

. 

### qanes+dq ,JWUE~,

E*rk $+;desfgn :egtJei- a8 the orlt$nal oqer qr h+nsfrqed, ‘a<‘hereli uro-

~‘li’idetj.~ 'Art; '831, E9ery pcrhn; :j~~bbolti~l& o’r <i.6f.t:oi%iCqgiexi; lnoorporat'dd ar,&n%,&r- $o,rcited;. that has%eretofore or+liilFh&firter ad6pt a-'b%el, traih tiark, deeign, device, imprlnt.or form OS advertiaemer$, ahall 

### rxp3 tb**8-0** 

### ia the offi+ 0r the Seor&u*'ai Stat6 By 'leailni: 

### bra- rab s@ile ooplea, with the Seoretary ot State, ,end said Seo_retarv ebell,r.et.urq, to 

### syop.

person;'

as.gobiB~Loq,

.or \mioq.'~.:~IUn8 the. ?eme, onc.of.'8ald fat #&O.e~'.eop~es ,$Iong with and attached to a"duiy'at~'~ed'cert'Li~obta - of the‘~fllln(: of sme 

### for nhiW Q'.shEill yeceiye II flee of one..do lar:. ,.sqqh 

### c_er.??lrjcatf!~~ i c$ f>lin$phaU in all,~.ul~s’ahd pr&ectiiona

. **under this**  chapter **be ‘** **sufficient proof**  **of** the a$'option of such label, t.rede park, design,.derice, i.mpHnt or fo?m .of advcrtlcecent:;',m4:of~ the right of sach ~erson;~s'adoiat~on.or. Woi' to ud$pt-the. oaze. Yo laboli tr&Ce .r;ark, de**8iq1,** eevjce, lqrint'or 

### tom0 .gf advbrti..?e&&iit s-hall bo filed es eforesc.ld thfit W.uId mobab'blyRoll.Tom L. Beauohamp, 

### Page 5

be mletqkeh for 8 label, trade merk, design, derlae, lmprlnt 0r rorm or adrertlaement already or reoord. No pewon, or aesoclatlon ahall be permitted to register a8 a label, trade n&k, doe@, derloe, imprint or r0m or advertisement any emblem, deelgn or resem**blame** thereto that ha8 bceu adopted or ueed, by any charitable, benevolent 07 rsliSlou8 society or assocletloa, without their 0oneent.e In the case or Dlluoxth 18. Rake, 64 SH 2nd 829, it was held the right to the use of a trade name belongs to tho porsoon that **first** appropriated **the name.** 

3W2nd 90533 quote fros the case of Russ vs. DW, 49

a8 fOiiOU8:' eyriorlty in adoption and use or tmde name8 confer8 a euperfor right to the ~88 thereor, end, since appellee first ueed the nane tbcretofore used by the oorporatlan, she acquired a priority to the uee thereof and the appellant could 

### not, by the mre ftl

### lng **Or such**  afildaVlt to 60 bU8lms8 under a fiCtliiOU8 name defeats appellee'o right to continue to use such tXe.nm8.e Aho Bee Tex. Sur.) Vol. 41, peg0 3S3. R8 quote iron. corpus rlurla, vol. 63, page8 337, 340 ad 470 a8 rOiiOW8:

VA trademrk is aoqulr4d by Pete adoption and user a8 suoh, subjeot to 8UOhWell-sstabllahod **rule8** a8 to what nay be exolusloely approgrlated as a trade.-&, and as to what manner of dce will conetitute the mrk used a trademark. The mark must be used in this couutry in order to acquire a trader,ark,ln this country. *The one who firat onploys a trademark in oonheotion with a particular ulasa of Soode aoqulreo a prfor end cxclueive rleht to u8e it In 

### oonneotion with that olaas cb goods, notwlthatandin.9 the aubaoquent user first reelstera the mark, end one not the orlSlnator or firstHon. Tom L. Z3eauohamp, Page 6

user thereof le entltlcd only to the diatlnctlve features added by him.

“Only the owner of a trademark has the rlcht to reClster it and the tradenark, trade naxe , symbol or de4ts.n deslgnatlnC ownership of a business may be rezlstered. Thou@ a trade name nay bc reClstered, and exclusive use thereby reserved under a statute authorlzlnC appropriation for use as a trademark, any form, symbcl cr nsmo to 6eslCnute the ori& or ov.ner thereof.’ Iu the case of Amour &.Companyye. Loulsrllle Provlslon Cor:pany, 283 Fed. 42, and a long list of oases c%ed therein the courts have held that registration does not oreate a trademark, nor 1s it at all essential to its validity. In the case ot Co&kran, 1911 & Company vs. A. 3. KuhlersnnConpany, 13G b’d. 525, the court held to entitle plaintiff the use of trcdemark, or to protect plalntlii and ltn mark aCalnst lnfrllly,ement, it was not necesrary that the trademark should have been registered by plalntisi. In the oase of CrqU Atlantic t. Pacific Tea canp05y’ VS. A. e F. hai Store, 20 F. Supp. 703, it wa8 held that a title to a trademark 1s independent of its reClstretlon. se

In%%% the torecoinf: authorities, you are respectfully aavlnea that it 1s the opinion OS this department that zour first question should be answered in the necatlve. Therefore, it 1s not necessary to answer your second question.

?rustlnC thst the fore.TolnC answers your lnqulry, we are Very truly yours APp~O~~Jm 23, 1939

tide11 Wllll~ Assistant