News & Analysis as of

Unfair Competition Appeals Trademark Litigation

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Hara v. Netflix, Inc.

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Ninth Circuit affirms dismissal of Lanham Act claims regarding use of drag queen Vicky Vox’s image and likeness in animated Netflix show and teaser trailer, holding, under Rogers test, that use was artistically relevant to...more

Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP

The Federal Circuit takes on Kisses, Sunlight, and Soft Drinks

An application for a US trademark may be rejected if it is likely, when used on or in connection with the goods of the applicant, to cause confusion with another registered mark. On July 23, in Sunkist Growers, Inc. v....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

McDermott Will & Schulte

Damages on Default Judgment Not Barred by Absence of Precise Amount in Complaint

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded a district court decision, allowing collection of actual damages in a default judgment where the complaint only sought damages “in an amount to be determined...more

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Trademark Damages: Supreme Court Rejects Disgorgement of Non-Defendant Affiliate Profits

The United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Dewberry Engineers Inc. v. Dewberry Group, Inc. on Feb. 26, 2025, clarifying the scope of damages available under the Lanham Act in trademark infringement cases....more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

US Supreme Court: 'Defendant’s Profits' Are Limited to Named Defendants Under the Lanham Act

Under the Lanham Act, a plaintiff who prevails on a trademark infringement claim may be entitled to recover the “defendant’s profits” as damages. The Supreme Court in Dewberry Group, Inc. v. Dewberry Engineers Inc....more

A&O Shearman

Supreme Court Limits Scope Of Damages Awards In A Trademark Infringement Action

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On February 26, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a unanimous decision limiting the Lanham Act’s scope of damages in a trademark infringement action. The case involves a trademark dispute between two...more

Jenner & Block

Client Alert: US Supreme Court Rules Trademark Plaintiffs Cannot Recover Profits from Defendants’ Affiliates, Overturns $43M Award...

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On February 26, 2025, in a unanimous opinion, the US Supreme Court vacated a $43 million trademark infringement award and ruled that trademark plaintiffs cannot recover profits from defendants’ affiliates when those...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

The U.S. Supreme Court Unanimously Rules That Successful Trademark Plaintiffs Cannot Recover Profits From Named Defendants’...

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On February 26, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously vacated a nearly $43 million award in a trademark dispute that raised the question of whether a defendant’s affiliates could be held liable for payment of a disgorged...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

SCOTUS Holds Affiliate Profits Not Available Under One Lanham Act Provision, But Leaves Door Open for Other Theories

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The United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Dewberry Group, Inc. v. Dewberry Engineers Inc., vacating a nearly $43 million profits award and remanding the case for further consideration. The Court concluded...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Trade Dress Requires Separate Articulation and Distinctiveness Requirements

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated and remanded a district court’s dismissal of a complaint for trade dress infringement and unfair competition, finding that the district court erred in requiring the...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Thatchers v. Aldi: A Bitter Battle over Cider Branding

On 20 January 2025, the Court of Appeal handed down its judgment in the trade mark dispute between Thatchers Cider Company Limited (“Thatchers”), the largest family-run independent cider producer in the UK, and Aldi Stores...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Ninth Circuit Upholds Significant Trademark Damages Award

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In a closely monitored appeal, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously upheld a $56 million damages award against beverage company Molson Coors in Stone Brewing Co., LLC v. Molson Coors Beverage...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Lager Than Life: $56 Million Verdict in Beer Trademark Dispute Still on Tap

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a $56 million trial verdict in a trademark dispute, finding that the evidence supported the jury’s conclusion that a beer company’s rebranding of one its beers infringed a...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Well-Pleaded Factual Allegations Must Be Taken as True When Considering Motion to Dismiss

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in dismissing a trademark infringement matter under Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim, ruled that a district court “erroneously assumed the veracity” of the defendants’...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

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

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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

Back to the Future: Prior Third-Party Settlement Doesn’t Impact Future Trademark Licensees

The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that under certain circumstances a trademark licensee can bring a claim against a third party for unfair competition under the Lanham Act even if the licensing agreement...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Personal Jurisdiction? Selling Products via Interactive Website Will Do It

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded a district court’s dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction, deciding that the sale of a product via an interactive website provides sufficient “minimum...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

On the Border of Art and Trademark: First Amendment Trumps the Lanham Act

The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit weighed trademark rights against free speech considerations and found that the First Amendment protected use of an artistic work that was not deliberately misleading. MGFB...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

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Influenced by Social Media Marketing, the Ninth Circuit finds Personal Jurisdiction over Foreign Defendant under Federal Rule...

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In a recent decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that an Australian cosmetic company is subject to the personal jurisdiction of a federal district court in California despite having no traditional “minimum...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Foreign Company's Purposeful US Activities Blemishes Lack of Personal Jurisdiction Defense

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a district court’s dismissal of a complaint, finding that the foreign defendant was subject to specific personal jurisdiction in the United States in light of the...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Third Circuit Orders Second Look at Delays and Disgorgement of Profits

In a long-running trademark dispute between two charitable organizations, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that the appellee did not preserve its challenge to the district court’s denial of summary judgment...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Injunctive Relief Available Even Where Laches Bars Trademark Infringement, Unfair Competition Damage Claims

The US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit affirmed a district court’s conclusion that laches barred an advertising and marketing company’s claims for monetary damages for trademark infringement and unfair competition, but...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

E-Commerce and Trademark Infringement: OSU Wins a Battle at the Sixth Circuit

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The Ohio State Buckeyes may have lost the college football national championship to Alabama earlier this year but OSU can take some consolation from its recent victory in a trademark case before the Sixth Circuit Court of...more

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