Indianapolis, Indiana – Trademark lawyers for Brandt Industries Ltd. of Saskatchewan, Canada, have brought a declaratory judgment action concerning the mark BRANDT, as used in connection with agricultural equipment and the manufacture thereof. The existence of the requisite “actual controversy” is based on the defendant, Pitonyak Machinery Corporation of Carlisle, AR, allegedly previously claiming to the plaintiff that the plaintiff’s use of the mark is infringing.
The mark at issue is not currently registered with the U.S. Trademark Office, but both parties have used the mark for several decades in different geographic areas. The plaintiff cites its prior “common law” rights in the mark, based on its continuous use of the mark in commerce, and requests that the court declare, among other things, that this use is non-infringing.