United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Manufacturing Company v. Trainer, 101 U.S. 51 (1879)

Manufacturing Company v. Trainer

101 U.S. 51

Syllabus

1. Letters or figures affixed to merchandise by a manufacturer for the purpose of denoting its quality only cannot be appropriated by him to his exclusive use as a trademark.

2. An injunction will not be granted at his suit to restrain another manufacturer from using a label bearing no resemblance to the complainant's, except that certain letters, which alone convey no meaning, are inserted in the center of each, the dissimilarity of the labels being such that no one will be misled as to the true origin or ownership of the merchandise.

APPEAL from the Circuit Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.