Hugo Boss fails to prevent registration of BOSS mark

 

On August 14 1992 Suntory applied to register the mark BOSS for goods in Classes 29 and 30 (Applications 199214593 and 199214592). On November 25 1994 Hugo Boss opposed the applications based on:

Hugo Boss commenced use of the marks in Hong Kong in 1972. However, there was no Class 29 or Class 30 registration for Hugo Boss’s marks in Hong Kong.

 

Hugo Boss argued that Suntory’s mark was identical to its BOSS mark and should not be registered under Section 12(1) of the ordinance, which provides that:

Before invoking Section 12(1), an opponent must establish a certain degree of reputation for its mark in Hong Kong. The necessary degree ranges from the number of people in the particular market who recognize the mark, at its lowest point, to a substantial proportion of the interested public being aware of the opponent’s mark, at its highest point. In any event, the reputation in the opponent’s mark must be more than de minimis before Section 12(1) comes into play.

 

After considering Hugo Boss’s evidence, the registrar was satisfied that Hugo Boss had, through advertising activities, established a reputation in the figurative mark BOSS HUGO BOSS in respect of men’s clothing in Hong Kong prior to the filing date of Suntory’s applications. Despite the fact that the relevant reputation was unrelated to goods in Classes 29 and 30, the registrar was satisfied that the reputation in the figurative mark BOSS HUGO BOSS was sufficient for Hugo Boss to mount an opposition under Section 12(1). The onus then shifted to Suntory to convince the registrar that its use of the mark BOSS was not likely to cause confusion among a substantial part of the public.

 

Suntory’s BOSS mark was considered to be similar to Hugo Boss’s figurative mark BOSS HUGO BOSS. However, the registrar held that there was no real tangible danger that the purchasing public would be confused into believing that the goods of Hugo Boss and Suntory came from the same source, as:

The registrar stated that when substituting himself as a potential purchaser, he would not be confused into believing that the goods of Hugo Boss and Suntory came from the same source. Therefore, Hugo Boss’s oppositions based on Section 12(1) failed.

 

Under Section 13(2) of the ordinance, the registrar may exercise his discretion to refuse an application for registration when an opposition based on Section 12(1) fails. However, Hugo Boss’s oppositions contained no specific reasons to justify the registrar exercising his discretion to turn down Suntory’s applications.