Le Cordon Bleu B. V. v Condon Bleur International Ltee [2000] FCA 1587

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Le Cordon Bleu B.V. v Cordon Bleu International Ltee [2000] FCA 1587

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – trade marks – appeals from registration decisions – application for registration of mark "Cordon Bleu" by Canadian company in respect of pâté and meat spreads – opposition by French company proprietor of Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and (after priority date) Au Petit Cordon Bleu cooking school in London – whether marks likely to deceive or cause confusion – reputation of opponent in Australia – no sales or advertising – evidence as to knowledge of opponent's business by cookery experts – whether representative of relevant class of companies – mistaken assumption of witnesses that opponent proprietor of London school – opinion evidence by marketing expert – lack of empirical basis – reputation of Canadian company's product in Australia – no evidence of actual confusion – meanings of "cordon bleu" – metaphorical meaning – whether mark not entitled to protection in a court of justice – whether confined to inherent characteristics of the mark – application by French company for registration of device mark including words "CORDON BLEU" – whether deceptively similar to Canadian company's mark – whether goods of the same description – whether likely to deceive or cause confusion EVIDENCE – evidence of reputation of product – witnesses from specialist class – whether evidence can be extrapolated – opinion evidence of marketing expert – whether based on empirical evidence WORDS AND PHRASES – "cordon bleu" Trade Marks Act 1955 (Cth) 6(1), 6(3), 28(a), 28(d), 33(1) Campomar Sociedad, Limitada v Nike International Ltd (2000) 46 IPR 481 at par 74 mentioned Re Arthur Fairest Ltd's Application (1951) 68 RPC 197 applied Nettlefold Advertising Pty Ltd v Nettlefold Signs Pty Ltd (1998) 45 IPR 393 at 395 applied Southern Cross Refrigerating Co v Toowoomba Foundry Pty Ltd (1954) 91 CLR 592 applied Conagra Inc v McCain Foods (Aust) Pty Ltd (1992) 33 FCR 302 at 367 mentioned Cooper Engineering Co Pty Ltd v Sigmund Pumps Ltd (1952) 86 CLR 536 at 539 applied Sports Café Ltd v Registrar of Trade Marks (1998) 42 IPR 552 at 559 applied Angelides v James Stedman Hendersons Sweets Ltd (1927) 40 CLR 43 at 72-73 applied B M Auto Sales Pty Ltd v Budget Rent a Car System (1976) 12 ALR 363 applied Dodds Family Investments Pty Ltd v Lane Industries Pty Ltd (1993) 26 IPR 261 at 269 applied Mirror Newspapers Ltd v Harrison (1982) 149 CLR 293 at 301 mentioned Australian Woollen Mills Ltd v F S Walton & Co Ltd (1937) 58 CLR 641 at 658 applied The Ritz Hotel Ltd v Charles of The Ritz Ltd (1988) 12 IPR 417 at 474 applied Kimberly-Clark Corporation v Vereinigte Papierwerke Schikedanz & Co (1967) 118 CLR 79 at 84 followed McCormick & Company Inc v McCormick [2000] FCA 1335 mentioned In re J & J Colman Ltd's Application (1929) 46 RPC 126 Australian Law of Trade Marks and Passing Off (2nd ed. 1990) at 146-7 mentioned LE CORDON BLEU B.V. V CORDON BLEU INTERNATIONAL LTEE NO. VG 16 OF 1998 RENAUD COINTREAU & CIE V CORDON BLEU INTERNATIONAL LTEE NO. VG 382 OF 1997 CORDON BLEU INTERNATIONAL LTEE V RENAUD COINTREAU & CIE NO. NG 557 OF 1997 HEEREY J 10 NOVEMBER 2000 SYDNEY (HEARD IN MELBOURNE)