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司法 · 商标争议

Toys R Us 异议失效后，卡尔加里伴侣交换俱乐部取得 Club R 商标

经过始于2023年的注册程序后，Club Rendezvous 已获得其简称在加拿大的保护。零售商自己的 Club R 商标仍然有效。

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原语言视频

译自英文原文。

在申请保护其简称三年多后，卡尔加里的 Club Rendezvous 终于获得加拿大对 Club R 的商标注册。这家仅限成人入内的伴侣交换俱乐部取得这一结果，并非因为在与 Toys “R” Us Canada 背后的企业进行的听证会上胜出，而是因为对方没有提交推进异议所需的正式声明。注册于 2026年11月5日完成。⁠4⁠2

这一结果结束了俱乐部等待注册保护的过程，但并未解决这场不同寻常的商标争议核心问题：消费者是否可能把成人社交俱乐部的品牌与零售商的品牌混淆。它也不意味着俱乐部在所有商业活动中都独占这些词语。收购了 Toys “R” Us Canada 商标的 Next Century IPCO CAN ULC，仍持有一项单独且有效的 Club R 注册，适用于客户忠诚度计划。⁠4⁠6

这正是玩具零售商挑战伴侣交换俱乐部这一新奇事件背后的重要区别：一项注册新增了，另一项并未被注销。异议因程序原因结束，双方关于是否会造成混淆的争论仍未裁定。⁠2⁠4⁠6

未能进入听证阶段的挑战

据塔拉·德尚（Tara Deschamps）11月13日为加拿大新闻社撰写的报道，零售商的前所有者主张，允许 Club Rendezvous 注册 Club R 会导致混淆。Toys “R” Us 在一些市场将其忠诚度计划称为 R Club。然而，在加拿大，其商标权利主张并不只是基于反向词语之间的相似性：它已经持有名称正是 Club R 的注册商标。⁠1⁠6

该较早的申请于2017年3月16日提交，并于2019年5月3日注册。它涵盖客户忠诚度计划的组织、管理和运营，这些计划提供折扣、奖励优惠、会员专享销售以及销售和活动的预先通知等福利。⁠6

Next Century 是通过零售商的财务重组进入这起事件的。加拿大新闻社报道，该公司在2026年早些时候收购了 Toys “R” Us Canada 的名称和约150项商标；当时零售商正受到债权人保护，并出售资产以偿还债务。对俱乐部申请的异议早已启动。官方记录显示，零售商的 Club R 注册自7月13日起转让给 Next Century，并于8月13日登记了这一转让。⁠1⁠6

对俱乐部而言，整个申请流程与异议程序是两段不同的等待过程。Club Rendezvous 于2023年4月提出申请；拟议异议于2026年1月登记。这并不是与 Toys “R” Us 进行的三年对抗式诉讼。该挑战只占较长注册过程中最后的一段。⁠4

从申请到注册

  1. 2023年4月13日

    Club Rendezvous 提交 Club R 商标注册申请。

    4
  2. 2025年11月5日

    该申请获公告，异议程序由此开放。

    4
  3. 2026年1月5日

    拟议异议获登记；首次延期将期限延至3月5日。

    4
  4. 2026年9月30日

    延期后的期限届满，期间既未提交异议声明，也未申请再次延期。

    12
  5. 2026年10月29日

    由于提交声明的期限已过，异议案卷结案。

    4
  6. 2026年11月5日

    Club R 注册给 Club Rendezvous Inc.，注册号为 TMA1459709。

    4

根据《商标法》第38(1)条，异议人通常须在商标公告后两个月内提交异议声明并缴纳规定费用。该声明必须足够详细地列明理由，以便申请人作出回应。获得更多时间提出异议，并不等于已经提交该文件。⁠12

记录显示，延期发生在1月、3月、6月和8月。俱乐部在已发布的说明中称，8月6日获准延期至9月30日，理由是特殊情况，并被告知，以实质相同情况为由再次申请延期极不可能获准。关于最后一次延期的说明来自俱乐部；公开的案件记录确认了8月延期以及此后案件的结案。⁠2⁠4

加拿大知识产权局的结案记录言简意赅：“异议／第45条案件结案——提交 SO 的期限已过。”此案没有举行对抗式听证，也没有作出裁决来认定这些商标是否足以造成混淆。⁠4⁠2

两项注册，指定服务各不相同

俱乐部的新注册保护的是名称，而不是某个反向 R 字样的特定标志。其服务包括夜总会经营、涉及伴侣交换生活方式、性与亲密关系的社交俱乐部活动、成人派对及相关教育讲习班。注册还涵盖在线娱乐信息以及会员查看图片和视频的权限，并另列酒吧和餐厅服务及约会服务类别。⁠4

这些指定服务与 Next Century 的忠诚度计划注册并不相同。《商标法》第19条说明了具体权益：除法定例外外，且除非有证据证明注册无效，商标所有人有权在加拿大境内就注册所列商品或服务独占使用该商标。这是有实际意义的全国性保护，而不是对这些词语的普遍垄断。⁠4⁠6⁠22

俱乐部的注册所列到期日为2036年11月5日。Next Century 现有的注册 TMA1020781 仍然有效，到期日为2034年5月3日。两项商标都在注册簿上，并不代表已有争议裁决认定不可能造成混淆；这个问题在本案中从未得到裁定。⁠4⁠6⁠2

对会员而言，这一变化涉及法律，而非运营。Club Rendezvous 表示，其卡尔加里场所和活动照常进行，诉讼程序没有中断日常经营。俱乐部称其历史可追溯至1983年，但这段历史并不能证明自那时起一直使用 Club R 这一简称。⁠2

业主告诉加拿大新闻社，他们对结果感到满意，并称这场争议“不同寻常”，因为他们的业务与儿童玩具完全属于不同产业。Next Century 及其律师均未回应该通讯社的置评请求。因此，该公司为何任由期限届满仍不得而知——这并不能证明双方达成和解，也不能证明其承认商标不会造成混淆。俱乐部获得了所申请的注册；更广泛的法律争议则未经过检验。⁠1⁠4

来源14

在此处引用的来源中，Richmond News最先发布，比本报道播出早26小时。 随后还有2家媒体发布。
  1. Richmond News
  2. Google News Canada (CA:en)
  3. The Globe and Mail
  4. HeyDay News

2篇早期文章作为背景资料参阅。10家媒体未注明日期：canada.caPrime Minister of CanadaAntevocanadiantrademarkintelligence.blogspot.comclubrcanada.comGlobal Trademark Company

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来自 14 家媒体的 22 个来源· 引用最多的优先

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  1. A Calgary swingers club has registered Club R after the toy retailer's challenge collapsed.
  2. Club Rendezvous now has Canadian trademark protection for its shortened name. But the company behind Toys R Us Canada still holds its own Club R registration.
  3. What protection has the club gained, and how do both businesses hold rights to the same words?
  4. Club Rendezvous continues to operate in Calgary and hold adults-only events. The business dates back to 1983. Its owners say the trademark proceeding didn't interrupt regular operations, but it prolonged their wait to protect the shortened name familiar to members.
  5. The retailer's previous owner argued that registering Club R for the club would cause confusion. Toys R Us has called its loyalty program R Club in some markets. And in Canada, the retailer already owned a registration for the exact words Club R, covering customer loyalty programs.
  6. Next Century missed the September 30 deadline to file its formal objection and didn't request more time. The Trademarks Opposition Board closed the file on October 29. Club Rendezvous completed registration on November 5, 2026, one week later.
  7. The club had applied on April 13, 2023, more than three years before registration. Its application was advertised on November 5, 2025, opening the opportunity for objections. A proposed opposition followed on January 5, 2026. Under Canadian law, opponents ordinarily have two months after advertisement to file a statement and pay the fee.
  8. The opponent obtained extensions but never filed the required statement of opposition, the formal document setting out its objections. The file ended at that stage. There was no contested hearing or decision resolving whether these trademarks would cause confusion.
  9. The first extension ran from January 5 to March 5. Further extensions followed in March, June and August. The club says the August 6 extension allowed until September 30 on exceptional-circumstances grounds. It says the office warned that another extension for substantially the same reasons was very unlikely.
  10. Subscribe to this channel to follow what happens next with Next Century's other trademark challenges.
  11. Next Century acquired the Toys R Us Canada name and about 150 trademarks earlier in 2026. The retailer was under creditor protection and selling assets to cover debts. Its objection to the club's application had already begun before that acquisition.
  12. The retailer's Club R application dates to March 16, 2017, and registration followed on May 3, 2019. That registration remains active. Its transfer to Next Century took effect on July 13, 2026, and was recorded on August 13. The club's new registration leaves the retailer's loyalty-program rights in place.
  13. Club Rendezvous holds Club R for entertainment, hospitality and dating services, with registration expiring November 5, 2036. Next Century holds Club R for customer loyalty programs, with expiry on May 3, 2034. Each registration identifies the services it protects.
  14. The club's entertainment coverage includes nightclub and social-club services, adult parties and workshops about sexuality, intimacy and the swingers' lifestyle. It also covers online entertainment information and member access to pictures and videos. Separate categories cover bar and restaurant services, and dating. The retailer's registration covers loyalty-program benefits such as discounts and private sales.
  15. Registration gives the club the exclusive right to use the trademark throughout Canada for its registered services, subject to legal exceptions and the registration remaining valid. The protection attaches to those services. The missed deadline left the retailer's argument about confusion undecided.
  16. Next Century appears to be continuing two other trademark cases. One concerns Russian company Biomicrogeli's use of Wonderlab, a name the retailer used for indoor play and craft centres before renaming that business Playlab. That case awaits a decision. The other challenges Acer's use of a reversed R for electronics and other products.
  17. Club Rendezvous's owners say they're pleased with the outcome. They called the dispute unusual because their business operates in an entirely different industry from children's toys. For members, the club says its Calgary location and events continue as usual.
  18. Next Century and its lawyer haven't explained why they let the deadline pass. The club secured registration without a contested decision on confusion. Its new Canadian protection covers the services listed in its registration, while Next Century retains its existing Club R registration for customer loyalty programs.

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