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2024 Supreme(US)(cafc) 234

COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT
Luca McDermott Catena Gift Trust – Appellant
Versus
Fructuoso-Hobbs Sl – Respondent



United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ______________________

LUCA MCDERMOTT CATENA GIFT TRUST, Appellant

v.

FRUCTUOSO-HOBBS SL, Appellee ______________________

2023-1383 ______________________

Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in No. 92079918.

-----------------------------------------------

LUCA MCDERMOTT CATENA GIFT TRUST, Appellant

v.

HILLICK & HOBBS ESTATE, LLC, Appellee ______________________

2023-1385 ______________________ Case: 23-1383 Document: 46 Page: 2 Filed: 05/23/2024

2 LUCA MCDERMOTT CATENA GIFT TRUST v. FRUCTUOSO-HOBBS SL

Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in No. 92079919. ______________________

Decided: May 23, 2024 ______________________

KIT KNUDSEN, Commins, Knudsen & Chou, P.C., Oak- land, CA, argued for appellant. Also represented by DAVID HARALD COMMINS.

JUSTIN D. HEIN, Carle, Mackie, Power & Ross LLP, Santa Rosa, CA, argued for appellees. Also represented by JOHN BERNARD DAWSON, KRISTIN ANN MATTISKE- NICHOLLS. ______________________

Before LOURIE, REYNA, and CHEN, Circuit Judges. LOURIE, Circuit Judge. Luca McDermott Catena Gift Trust (“Appellant”) ap- peals from a consolidated decision of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“the Board”) dismissing its petitions to cancel the registered marks ALVAREDOS-HOBBS and HILLICK AND HOBBS. Luca McDermott Catena Gift Trust v. Fructuoso-Hobbs SL, Nos. 92079918, 92079919 (T.T.A.B. Nov. 17, 2022), J.A. 1–11 (“Decision”). Because the Board correctly con- cluded that Appellant lacks a statutory right to seek can- cellation of those marks under 15 U.S.C. § 1064, we affirm. BACKGROUND Appellant and two related family trusts—the Dante McDermott Catena Gift Trust and the Nicola McDermott Catena Gift Trust—are each limited partners of California- based Paul Hobbs Winery, L.P. (“Hobbs Winery”). Deci- sion, J.A. 6. Collectively, the three family trusts own 21.6% Case: 23-1383 Document: 46 Page: 3 Filed: 05/23/2024

LUCA MCDERMOTT CATENA GIFT TRUST v. 3 FRUCTUOSO-HOBBS SL

of the partnership. Id. Hobbs Winery, in turn, owns the registered trademark PAUL HOBBS in International Class 33 for “Wines.” Id.; see Registration No. 3,498,652. Paul Hobbs is the name of the winemaker and another par- tial owner of Hobbs Winery. See J.A. 13. Paul Hobbs is also affiliated with Appellees Fructuoso- Hobbs SL (“Fructuoso-Hobbs”) and Hillick & Hobbs Estate, LLC (“Hillick & Hobbs”). See J.A. 23. Fructuoso-Hobbs is a Spanish winery and owner of the registered mark ALVAREDOS-HOBBS, see Registration No. 6,229,243, while Hillick & Hobbs is a New York winery and owner of the registered mark HILLICK AND HOBBS, see Registra- tion No. 6,390,072. Like Hobbs Winery’s mark, each of Ap- pellees’ marks is registered in International Class 33 for “Alcoholic beverages except beers; wines.” Decision, J.A. 4. Appellant, along with the two related family trusts, filed a consolidated petition to cancel each of Appellees’ marks under 15 U.S.C. § 1064 on the grounds of likelihood of confusion and fraud. See generally J.A. 12–39. The pe- tition alleged that Appellees’ use of ALVAREDOS-HOBBS and HILLICK AND HOBBS in connection with wine was likely to cause confusion in the marketplace with Hobbs Winery’s use of PAUL HOBBS f

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