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Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Electronic Filing System. http://estta.uspto.

gov
ESTTA Tracking number: ESTTA356185
Filing date: 07/02/2010
IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE TRADEMARK TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD

Notice of Opposition
Notice is hereby given that the following party opposes registration of the indicated application.

Opposer Information
Name Looters Media Inc.
Granted to Date 07/07/2010
of previous
extension
Address 572 Park Street
Stoughton, MA 02072
UNITED STATES

Attorney Gregory M. Krakau


information Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton, P.C.
1601 Trapelo RoadSuite 205
Waltham, MA 02451
UNITED STATES
gkrakau@mbbp.com, tdunn@mbbp.com, fkasparian@mbbp.com,
ttab@mbbp.com Phone:781-622-5930

Applicant Information
Application No 77809276 Publication date 03/09/2010
Opposition Filing 07/02/2010 Opposition 07/07/2010
Date Period Ends
Applicants Ivy, Elaine
7 Brook St
Malden, MA 02148
UNITED STATES

Ivy, Trevor
7 Brook St
Malden, MA 02148
UNITED STATES

Goods/Services Affected by Opposition


Class 034. First Use: 2008/11/05 First Use In Commerce: 2009/02/01
All goods and services in the class are opposed, namely: Tobacco leaves, tobacco leave wrappers,
and cigar kits consisting essentially of tobacco and wrappers for making cigars

Grounds for Opposition


The mark is merely descriptive Trademark Act section 2(e)(1)
Genericness Trademark Act section 23

Attachments FRONTO opposition and cancellation.pdf ( 6 pages )(137451 bytes )


Certificate of Service
The undersigned hereby certifies that a copy of this paper has been served upon all parties, at their address
record by First Class Mail on this date.

Signature /Gregory M. Krakau/


Name Gregory M. Krakau
Date 07/02/2010
IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE TRADEMARK TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD

____________________________________
) In re App. Ser. No. 77/809,276
Looters Media Inc., )
) Mark: FRONTO KING FRESH
Opposer, ) 100% NATURAL TOBACCO
) LEAF FOR TOBACCO USE ONLY
v. ) and Design
)
Trevor Ivy, ) Filing Date: August 20, 2009
) !"#$%&'()*+,''-)./0'1, 2010
Applicant. )
) Opposition No.: ________________
____________________________________)
)
Looters Media Inc., ) In re Reg. No. 3,731,310
)
Petitioner, ) Mark: Fronto King
)
v. ) Filing Date: June 3, 2009
)
Trevor Ivy, ) Reg. Date: December 29, 2009
)
Respondent. ) Cancellation No.: ______________
____________________________________)

CONSOLIDATED NOTICE OF OPPOSITION


AND PETITION FOR CANCELLATION

Opposer/Petitioner Looters Media 2&/3'456-27'8.'59::8;+.7 8.'5!+*<*<8&+.7), a

corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and

having an address of 572 Park Street, Stoughton, Massachusetts 02072, believes that it will be

damaged by the registration of the mark shown in Application Ser. No. 77/809,276, and hereby

opposes same. LMI further believes it is damaged and will continue to be damaged by Reg.

No. 3,731,310, and hereby petitions for cancellation of same.

The grounds for opposition and cancellation are as follows:

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1. LMI is an urban lifestyle company and the owner of U.S. Trademark Registration

No. 3,748,349 =8.'*0+'>).?'699@ABC'-DEDF2GA'H'H'I'(+;<J&'=8.'";+'8&'5>)J)K<&+;'

=+)*".<&J'+&*+.*)<&>+&*'<&'*0+'=<+$L'8='>";</37

2. LMI also is in the business of selling tobacco leaves directly to consumers for use

as tobacco wrappers under the marks PG and PAUGATTI.

3. The practice of consumers using tobacco leaves to roll their own homemade

cigarettes or cigars originated in the country of Jamaica. The generic term for such tobacco

$+)M+;'<;'5=.8&*87 leaf. Accordingly, LMI truthfully and accurately identifies its product as

5=.8&*87'$+)=N'<&')LL<*<8&'*8'<L+&*<=O<&J'*0+';8"./+'8='*0+':.8L"/*;'";<&J'*0+'!E')&L'!DPED@@2'

marks.

4. On information and belief, consumers of tobacco wrappers recognize the term

5=.8&*87');')'J+&+.</'term for tobacco leaves used to roll homemade cigarettes or cigars.

5. On information and belief, Trevor Ivy (8.'5D::$</)&*7 8.'5B+;:8&L+&*7), a citizen

of the country of Jamaica with an address of 7 Brook Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148, is

the record owner of Application Ser. No. 77/809,276 4*0+'5D::$</)*<8&7Q for the alleged mark

FRONTO KING FRESH 100% NATURAL TOBACCO LEAF FOR TOBACCO USE ONLY

and Design for use on 5R*S8#)//8'$+)M+;N'*8#)//8'$+)M+'R;</S'T.)::+.;N')&L'/<J).'?<*;'/8&;<;*<&J'

essentially of tobacco and wrappers for making cig).;37

6. On information and belief, Applicant and Elaine Ivy, an individual with an

address of 7 Brook Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148, filed the Application on or about

August 20, 2009, alleging use of the mark in commerce since February 1, 2009.

7. On information and belief, Elaine Ivy transferred her interest in the Application to

Trevor Ivy in an assignment recorded with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on December

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15, 2009, at Reel and Frame 4114/0468.

8. On information and belief, Trevor Ivy is the record owner of U.S. Trademark

Reg. No. 3,731,310 4*0+'5B+J<;*.)*<8&7Q for the alleged mark FRONTO KING for use on

5R*S8#)//8'T.)::+.;37 On information and belief, Reg. No. 3,731,310 was issued on December

29, 2009, less than five years before the filing of this Consolidated Notice of Opposition and

Petition to Cancel.

9. On information and belief, on or about June 3, 2009, Elaine Ivy filed the

application that matured into the Registration, alleging use of the mark in commerce since

February 1, 2009.

10. On information and belief, Elaine Ivy transferred her interest in the application

that matured into the Registration to Trevor Ivy in an assignment recorded with the U.S. Patent

and Trademark Office on December 15, 2009, at Reel and Frame 4114/0465.

11. The marks depicted in the Application and the Registration shall be referred to

/8$$+/*<M+$O');'5-.3'2MO%;'U.8&*8 King -).?;37

I. !"#$!#%&$'(%)*+),$-*$.%/$01234 FRONTO KING Marks is Generic

12. @0+'*+.>'5=.8&*87'*0)*')::+).;'<&'-.3'2MO%;'U.8&*8'King Marks is a generic term

for -.3'2MO%; goods. 15 U.S.C. §§ 1052 and 1127.

13. Buyers of fronto leaf understand the *+.>'5fronto7'*8'.+=+.':.<>).<$O'*8'*0+'class

or category of goods offered in connection with that term. Trademark Manual of Examining

ProceL".+'45@-A!7Q'V'WXY13YW4/Q4<Q3''D//8.L<&J$ON'*0+'*+.>'5fronto7'<;'J+&+.</');')::$<+L'*8'

tobacco wrappers used to make homemade cigarettes or cigars. Id.

14. Because the term 5=.8&*87'<;'<&/):)#$+'8='="&/*<8&<&J'); a registrable trademark

denoting the source of fronto leaf, Mr. Ivy is not entitled to registration of the mark depicted in

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the Application. Moreover, the Registration is subject to cancellation because 5=.8&*87'<;'

incapable of serving a source-identifying function when used on fronto leaf. 15 U.S.C. §§ 1052;

1063; 1068; 1127; Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Manual of Procedure § 309.03(d);

@.)L+>).?'-)&")$'8='AZ)><&<&J'!.8/+L".+'45TMEP7Q § 1209.01(c)(i).

II. Alternatively, +"#$!#%&$'(%)*+),$-*$.%/$01234 Alleged FRONTO KING Marks


is Merely Descriptive and Mr. Ivy Cannot Establish Acquired Distinctiveness

15. To the extent 5=.8&*87 is not generic, the term merely describes a characteristic,

function, feature, purpose, or use 8='D::$</)&*%;'Joods. 15 U.S.C. § 1052(e)(1); TMEP

§ 1209.01(b).

16. For example, *0+'*+.>'5=.8&*87'<&L</)*+;'*8'/8&;">+.;'*0)*'*0+':.8L"/*'<;'*8#)//8'

leaf used to roll homemade cigarettes or cigars.

17. Furthermore, on information and belief, Mr. Ivy does not have secondary meaning

or acquired distinctiveness <&'5=.8&*8.7 @0";N'-.3'2MO%;'UB9G@9'[2GE'-).?;').+ not eligible

for registration. 15 U.S.C. §§ 1052 and 1068; TMEP §§ 1212.03 et seq.

18. Accordingly, the Application should be denied, and the Board should cancel the

B+J<;*.)*<8&'*8'.+=$+/*'*0)*'5=.8&*87'L8+;'&8*';+.ve a source-identifying function when used on

fronto leaf. 15 U.S.C. §§ 1052(e)-(f) and 1068; TMEP §§ 1209.01(b) and 1212.03 et seq.

WHEREFORE, LMI prays that this Opposition and Petition for Cancellation be sustained

for the reasons set forth above, that the Application be denied registration, and that the

Registration be cancelled.

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Please charge the $600 filing fee for this Notice of Opposition and Petition for

Cancellation to Deposit Account No. 50-3655, with reference to 3525/08078.

Date: July 2, 2010 LOOTERS MEDIA INC.

By its attorneys

MORSE, BARNES-BROWN & PENDLETON,


P.C.

By: /Gregory M. Krakau/


Thomas F. Dunn
Gregory M. Krakau
Faith D. Kasparian
1601 Trapelo Road, Suite 205
Waltham, MA 02451
Tel: (781) 622-5930
Fax: (781) 622 5933
Email: gkrakau@mbbp.com

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, Gregory M. Krakau, certify that a copy of the foregoing NOTICE OF OPPOSITION


AND PETITION FOR CANCELLATION was served on:

Trevor Ivy
7 Brook Street
Malden, Massachusetts 02148

by placing same with the U.S. Postal Service, via first class mail, postage pre-paid, this 2nd day
of July, 2010.

/Gregory M. Krakau/
Gregory M. Krakau
Counsel for Looters Media Inc.

{M0187953.1 }
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