Flawed Evidence Undercuts “Charbucks” Trademark Suit In Starbucks Corp. v. Wolfe’s Borough Coffee, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a district court’s decision denying injunctive relief in Starbucks’ trademark case against Black Bear Micro Roastery over Black Bear’s use of “Charbucks” for coffee. Starbucks sued Black Bear in 2001, alleging, among other things, trademark dilution in […] Continue Reading →
Second Circuit: Statements made in settlement discussions admissible to prove estoppel In a decision yesterday, the Second Circuit affirmed a jury's findings in a trademark infringement case between Polo Ralph Lauren and the U.S. Polo Association. The jury found that one of the USPA's four marks was likely to cause confusion. The two parties had been involved in a previous lawsuit in the early 1980s, and […] Continue Reading →
Ninth Circuit: have another look at those two moose – denial of preliminary injunction vacated In a decision Tuesday, the Ninth Circuit vacated a district court's denial of a preliminary injunction to Abercrombie & Fitch over an alleged infringement of its "Moose" marks by Moose Creek, a competing clothing company. The Ninth Circuit found that the district court had misapplied several of the factors used in the Ninth Circuit to […] Continue Reading →