Clase Azul龙舌兰商标之争发回重审：第五巡回法院撤销原判
美国联邦第五巡回上诉法院11月4日发布正式判决，撤销联邦地区法院在龙舌兰酒商标纠纷中作出的判决，并将案件发回重审。原告Casa Tradición公司旗下品牌为Clase Azul，其指控被告Casa Azul Spirits公司销售的“Casa Azul”龙舌兰酒侵犯“Clase Azul”商标、容易使消费者产生混淆，依据《兰纳姆法》和德克萨斯州法律提起诉讼。
判决书显示，Clase Azul由Arturo Lomelí在1999年前后创立，2003年进入美国市场，现已销往85多个国家和地区。该品牌以手工绘制的陶瓷酒瓶和高端定位著称，每瓶售价从130美元到限量版的3万美元以上，2008年在美国注册商标。被告一方的“Casa Azul”标记则在2006年申请注册、最初用于葡萄酒，2019年扩及包括龙舌兰在内的酒精饮料。
此前，德克萨斯南区联邦地区法院经无陪审团审理后判决被告一方胜诉，认定Clase Azul未能证明存在消费者混淆的可能性。由首席法官Jennifer Walker Elrod撰写的合议庭判决认为，地区法院的部分事实认定明显错误，因此撤销原判，并发回地区法院按判决意见继续审理。法官Kurt D. Engelhardt对判决结论部分同意、部分持异议。
这起围绕“Azul”（蓝色）字样的商标之争已持续多年，两家公司在美国酒精饮料市场同时使用相关标记近十年。随着案件发回，地区法院将重新审理消费者混淆问题，Casa Azul能否继续以该名称销售龙舌兰酒仍有待进一步裁决。
Fifth Circuit Vacates Ruling for Casa Azul in Clase Azul Tequila Trademark Fight
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a published opinion on November 4 vacating a federal district court's judgment in a tequila trademark dispute and remanding the case for further proceedings. Casa Tradición, whose brand is Clase Azul, sued Casa Azul Spirits under the Lanham Act and Texas law, alleging that the defendant's "Casa Azul" tequila infringes its "Clase Azul" mark and is likely to confuse consumers.
According to the opinion, Clase Azul was developed by Arturo Lomelí around 1999 and entered the U.S. market in 2003; it is now sold in more than 85 countries. The brand is known for hand-painted ceramic decanters and luxury pricing, from $130 a bottle to more than $30,000 for limited releases, and registered its mark in the United States in 2008. The Casa Azul mark was first applied for in 2006 in connection with wine and was extended in 2019 to alcoholic beverages including tequila.
After a bench trial, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ruled for Casa Azul, finding that Clase Azul had failed to establish a likelihood of consumer confusion. The Fifth Circuit panel, in an opinion by Chief Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod, held that some of the district court's factual findings were clearly erroneous, vacated the judgment and remanded for proceedings consistent with the opinion. Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt concurred in part and dissented in part.
The two brands have been used simultaneously in the U.S. alcohol market for nearly a decade. On remand, the district court will revisit the likelihood-of-confusion question, and whether Casa Azul may keep selling tequila under its name remains to be decided.
来源：美国联邦第五巡回上诉法院
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：位于新奥尔良的美国联邦第五巡回上诉法院所在地John Minor Wisdom法院大楼。（Ktkvtsh 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons） / Photo: The John Minor Wisdom U.S. Courthouse in New Orleans, home of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. (by Ktkvtsh, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
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