Functionality in Canadian trademark law

Under Canadian trade-mark law, the "doctrine of functionality" provides that features that are primarily functional in nature cannot be registered as trade-marks.^[1] The doctrine of functionality reflects the purpose of trade-mark, which is the protection of the distinctiveness of the wares and services associated with a trade-mark.^[2] Unlike patents, trade-marks do not protect the utilitarian features of products.^[3] The doctrine of functionality is reflected in section 13(2) of the "Trade-marks Act", which provides that: "No registration of a distinguishing guise interferes with the use of any utilitarian feature embodied in the distinguishing guise".^[4] On the basis of functionality, courts have denied trade-mark protection for such features as the pattern of knobs on LEGO blocks^[5] and the shape of the head of an electric razor.^[6]

References

^ Kirkbi AG v. Ritvik Holdings Inc., [2005] 3 S.C.R. 302 at para. 42.
^ Kirkbi AG v. Ritvik Holdings Inc., [2005] 3 S.C.R. 302 at para. 42.
^ Kirkbi AG v. Ritvik Holdings Inc., [2005] 3 S.C.R. 302 at para. 43.
^ Trade-marks Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. T-13, s. 13(2).
^ Kirkbi AG v. Ritvik Holdings Inc., [2005] 3 S.C.R. 302.
^ "Remington Rand Corp. v. Philips Electronics N.V." (1995), 64 C.P.R. (3d) 467 (F.C.A.).

Functionality in Canadian trademark law

References

See also