News & Analysis as of

Trademark Infringement Summary Judgment Trademarks

McDermott Will & Schulte

Clean bill of health: Only domestic activities count when analyzing likelihood of confusion

Affirming a summary judgment decision finding no trademark infringement under the Lanham Act, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit determined that the district court properly focused on domestic activity with regard...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Don’t walk away: Trademark owner can’t bring infringement suit against co-owner

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a district court’s summary judgment decision that a co-owner of a trademark cannot bring infringement or dilution claims under the Lanham Act against other co-owners or...more

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

No “Sale,” No Trademark: Ninth Circuit Dismisses “WallStreetBets” Founder’s Infringement Claim Against Reddit for Lack of...

On June 11, 2025, in likely the most significant ruling of the longstanding feud between the social media website, Reddit, Inc., and the founder of its notorious “WallStreetBets” subreddit community, Jaime Rogozinski, the...more

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Enos v. The Walt Disney Company

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District court grants Disney’s motion for summary judgment, holding it did not infringe plaintiffs’ copyright in blue-eyed ukulele-playing turtle character, but rather independently created its own musical turtle character,...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Up in Smoke: Statutory Trademark Damages Can Exceed Actual Damages

Addressing a jury’s statutory damages award that surpassed the plaintiffs’ actual damages, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s denial of the defendant’s motion for judgment as a...more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

The Supreme Court and Intellectual Property in 2024-2025: What Was Decided, What Is To Come And What Was Declined

In wrapping up the 2023-24 term and embarking on the 2024-25 term, the Supreme Court was asked to decide a number of intellectual property cases. The Court issued several significant opinions in 2024 and has taken several...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

The Nittany Lions Are the Champs … Trademark Champs - The Katten Kattwalk/Kattison Avenue | Issue 4

Many eyes were on the Nittany Lions this past year as sports pundits speculated The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) would make it to the College Football National Championship. But those with an interest in...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Divided 9th Circuit Says District Court Has Power to Adjudicate TM Applications

In BBK Tobacco & Foods LLP v. Cent. Coast Agric., Inc., 97 F.4th 668 (9th Cir. 2024), the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that federal district courts have power to adjudicate trademark applications pursuant to the Lanham...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Court Discounts Confusion Evidence in Trademark Infringement Action: Is the Confusion Actual?

Actual confusion is considered the sine qua non of trademark infringement. The presence of actual confusion can carry the day in proving a likelihood of confusion entitling the claimant to summary judgment. But not all...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

New York Court Sides with PepsiCo on Remand in Ongoing Rise Brewing Dispute

Ladas & Parry LLP on

In Riseandshine Corporation v PepsiCo Inc (SDNY-1-21-cv-06324), plaintiff Riseandshine Corporation, doing business as Rise Brewing, brought three federal and two state claims relating to trademark infringement and unfair...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Disgorgement of Profits Appropriate Remedy for Breach of Contract, Trademark Infringement

In a trademark infringement and breach of contract case involving real estate companies with a shared name, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of the trademark owner, including...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Remedies as Big as Your Bamba

Following the district court’s finding of trademark infringement on summary judgment, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s subsequent award of profits, costs and attorneys’ fees in favor...more

Woods Rogers

What Barbenheimer Can Teach Us About Intellectual Property

Woods Rogers on

Barbenheimer is a new term for consecutively watching the movies “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.”  In honor thereof, we present the Barbenheimer Legal Alert. Did you know Mattel sued, and lost, to stop the “Barbie Girl” song?...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Elevate the $: Geographic Isolation Helps Defeat Trademark Infringement Claim

In a case between similarly named banks, the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit confirmed expert disclosure requirements, conducted a de novo likelihood of confusion analysis and ultimately upheld a finding of no...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

On the Road Again: Alternative Designs May Impact Trade Dress Functionality Analysis

The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed and remanded a summary judgment ruling, finding that there were genuine disputes of material fact regarding whether the plaintiff’s alleged trade dress was functional and...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Jury Finds That ‘MetaBirkin’ NFTs Infringed Hèrmes’ Trademark Rights

At the heart of what is considered the first NFT trademark trial were two competing arguments: Were the artist Mason Rothschild’s creation of “MetaBirkin” NFTs — digital images of blurry faux fur-covered handbags inspired by...more

Polsinelli

Jury Sides with Hermès in Pivotal NFT Trademark Case

Polsinelli on

On February 8, 2023, a federal jury awarded Hermès International and Hermès of Paris, Inc. (“Hermès”) $133,000 in its trademark lawsuit against designer Mason Rothschild. Hermès sued Rothschild for selling non-fungible tokens...more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

NFTs Found to Infringe Hermès Trademark

In a case with clear implications for non-fungible token art-based projects, a federal jury in the case of Hermès International, et al. v. Mason Rothschild, 1:22-cv-00384 (SDNY), found in favor of fashion brand Hermès in its...more

ArentFox Schiff

Battle of the (Meta) Birkin: Summary Judgment Showdown Shutdown – Hermès v. Rothschild Set for Trial

ArentFox Schiff on

A dispute between luxury fashion brand Hermès and digital artist Mason Rothschild over Hermès’ alleged trademark rights relating to the Hermès’ Birkin handbag is making waves as a New York federal judge has denied...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Functionality Dooms Alleged Trade Dress Protection

McDermott Will & Schulte on

The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed summary judgment of noninfringement in a trade dress suit, finding that the trade dress was functional and the attorneys’ fee award—as diminished by the district...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

SCOTUS Agrees to Engage in Some Whiskey Business

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On Monday, November 21st, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal filed by Jack Daniel’s. In this appeal, Jack Daniel’s argued that the Ninth Circuit erred by upholding the lower court’s grant of summary judgment to...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Delay in Enforcing Trademark Measured from When Infringement Became Actionable

Addressing laches and progressive encroachment, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed and remanded a district court’s grant of summary judgment based on laches because the district court failed to “conduct a...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Déjà vu Decision on Likelihood of Confusion

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court’s dismissal of a trademark suit that was essentially identical to a previous lawsuit that was dismissed based on a finding of lack of confusion....more

Fenwick & West LLP

Bacardi Rum Can’t Be Tamed: Ninth Circuit Rules in Favor of Bacardi in Trademark Summary Judgment Ruling

Fenwick & West LLP on

In an interesting twist, the Ninth Circuit granted summary judgment to a defendant in a trademark infringement case in Lodestar v. Bacardi on April 21, 2022. Given the Ninth Circuit’s common refrain that “summary judgment is...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

First Sale Defense Bars Trademark Infringement Where Trademarked Component Is Adequately Disclosed

A US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit panel vacated a grant of summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff, holding that the first sale doctrine applies when a trademarked product is incorporated into a new product....more

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