French Wineries’ ‘Echo’ Trademark Fight Revived by Appeals Court

An administrative tribunal wrongly assumed that two French wine sellers’ trademarks starting with “Echo” also contained distinguishing house marks, the Federal Circuit ruled Friday.

Evidence didn’t support a conclusion—argued for by neither party—that “Echo D’Angelus” and “Echo de Lynch Bages” trademarks include house marks, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said Friday. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s leap could have been deemed harmless error if its analysis of mark similarity and likelihood of consumer confusion hadn’t relied so heavily on it, the court said.

The opinion by Judge Mark C. Scarsi noted that house marks—those “used ...