Opinion ID: 675861
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: TTAB Decision

Text: 4 The TTAB held that West had failed to prove prior use, and therefore, that it need not consider the issue of likelihood of confusion. The TTAB found the evidence West submitted insufficient to establish either prior use or continuous use of the mark FAST EDDIE'S by West before Jet's undisputed date of first use of that mark in 1986. To reach this conclusion, the TTAB individually discredited, at pages 3-4 of its opinion, each piece of evidence submitted by West as follows: 5 Although petitioner has submitted newspapers from 1983 and 1984 which contain advertisements for FAST EDDIE'S PLACE, it has not submitted any evidence that these advertisements were placed by petitioner or refer to petitioner's services. 6 .... 7 The state registration shows that an application was filed by petitioner on June 19, 1985, claiming a date of first use of the mark on February 2, 1981; however, neither the claim made in the application nor the filing date of an application for a state registration constitutes proof of use of the mark. As for the regulatory licenses, the first, which is for the period February 4, 1981-September 30, 1981, was issued to Edwin Porter, rather than the petitioner herein. The second, which is for the period October 1, 1984-September 30, 1985, licensed petitioner to engage in the business of Fast Eddie's Place on Pier restaurant, while the third licensed petitioner to engage in the business of Fast Eddie's Place on the pier between October 1, 1985 and September 30, 1986. While the second and third licenses show that petitioner was granted a license to do business under the name in question, none of these licenses proves that petitioner actually engaged in restaurant services under the mark during these periods. The final official record, a food service inspection report dated November 1, 1985, does not refer to petitioner, but indicates inspection of a business owned by E. Porter. 8 Having dismissed all of the evidence that West submitted in the foregoing manner, the TTAB then reasoned in the alternative at page 4 of its decision: 9 Even if petitioner could rely on any of the printed publications or official documents to demonstrate its priority, none of the materials which have been submitted shows that petitioner has made continuous use of the mark FAST EDDIE'S, or any variant thereof. A necessary component of the ground of likelihood of confusion under Section 2(d) of the Trademark Act is that the plaintiff's mark must have been previously used in the United States and not abandoned. In the present case, none of the materials submitted by petitioner bears a date later than November 26, 1985. Thus, even if we were to deem petitioner's materials as demonstrating use of its mark as of the dates shown therein, petitioner's claim must fail because it has not submitted evidence of the use of its mark for the two years prior to the filing of its petition or any time thereafter. [Emphasis added.] 10 West asserts in this appeal that the TTAB erred in finding the evidence of record to be non-probative, and consequently holding that West failed to establish prior and continuous use. West further asserts that this error led the TTAB to improperly refuse to consider the issue of likelihood of confusion.