Opinion ID: 242260
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Use of the Word 'Guild'.

Text: 63 We begin with the finding as to the name because the use of the name 'Weavers' Guild' is characteristic of the entire pattern of the business conducted by the petitioner. Its use since early in 1952 is deceptive. It conveyed the impression that it is a 'national' organization, the importance of membership in which should be emphasized by salesmen to persons to whom they sought to sell the course of instruction, and who were to be impressed with the fact that they were needed to fulfill a 'national' program. Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1934, gives the following as the first definition of 'guild': 64 'An association of men belonging to the same class or engaged in kindred pursuits, or with common interests or aims, formed for mutual aid and protection.' 65 The legal definition is, in substance, the same. 28 They both refer to a non-profit association of persons engaged in the same craft for mutual assistance. The public has become familiar, in recent years, with the activities of the Newspaper Guild and of the various artists' guilds. 66 Courts have uniformly sustained Orders of the Federal Trade Commission prohibiting the use of misleading designations. Thus, a flour company was prohibited from using the word 'milling' in its title, because the word was understood by dealers and the purchasing public to indicate concerns which grind wheat into flour, which the particular mill did not do. 29 This Court sustained an Order forbidding, in advertising a medicated douche powder, the use of the word 'MD' because the purchasers would mistake it for an abbreviation of Doctor of Medicine, and imply medical approval. The Court said: 67 'Above and beyond the oral evidence in this case-- evidence which, we repeat, is both substantial and impressive-- stands the mute and accusing testimony of the thing itself. We have examined the advertising matter and the container put out for the petitioners' douche powder. Like the Commission, we too have noticed that blatant emphasis on the letters 'MD'. We too have discerned the attempt-- and, we believe, the conscious attempt-- to capitalize upon the prestige of a profession that, for all its blunders and ineptitudes, from the very days of Hippocrates and Galen has built up a noble tradition of selfsacrifice and service to humanity. 68 'We agree with the conclusion of the respondent that the use of the letters 'MD' is deceptive.' 30 69 In another case this Court forbade the use of the word 'Hollywood' with the legend 'favorite of the stars' in conjunction with a cosmetic preparation upon the ground that it gave the impression that it was a product of Hollywood's theatrical colony and was preferred by the motion picture stars. 31 And generally courts will sustain the acts of the Federal Trade Commission in prohibiting the use of a trade-name that might cause confusion, whether the name used is that of a competitor or not. 32 70 The case before us was a proper one in which to apply the principles of these cases. No Weavers' Guild of America ever existed. The purchasers derived no benefit from it. It was merely a fictitious name under which the petitioner was doing business and its use was likely to mislead. 71