After three years of litigation, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled in favor of EdgeCraft Corp. in a trademark case against Smith’s Consumer Products and its use of the Edgeware trademark.
Smith’s Consumer Products CEO Dan Glidden said he is not only disappointed in the ruling but “we have worked diligently to build a strong brand and we are fully committed to continue providing our retail partners with innovative, quality knife sharpeners and kitchen tools for the home cook.”
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), a panel of federal judges, found Smith’s Consumer Products’ Edgeware trademark was confusingly similar to the EdgeCraft trademark owned by EdgeCraft Corp., and therefore “likely to cause confusion, mistake, or deception.” As a result, they ordered cancellation of the three Edgeware trademark registrations.
“While we strongly disagree with this decision, Smith’s Consumer Products Inc., with over 127 years of experience in the knife-sharpening category, stands behind our extensive line of Edgeware and Smith’s sharpening products and kitchen tools,” Glidden said in a statement. “The U.S. Patent and Trademark office granted Smith’s a valid Edgeware trademark in 2009 and we have subsequently used the Edgeware name in good faith and in compliance with all legal requirements. At this point, we are evaluating our options and are committed to resolving this issue as quickly as possible.”
For more details on the ruling, see last week’s Gourmet Business news story, EdgeCraft Prevails in Trademark Case Against Smith’s Consumer Products.
