Articles Posted in Counterfeit

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Indianapolis; IN – The Southern District of Indiana has issued a partial summary judgment in favor of Coach, Inc. and finding that Teresa Barnes, the owner of a Muncie store, had committed trademark infringement and counterfeiting for the sale of knock-off Coach goods.

In April 2011, trademark attorneys for Coach, Inc. and Coach Services, Inc. of New York, New York,Thumbnail image for Coach.jpg had filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Chaos of Muncie, Chaos on Campus, LLC and Teresa Barnes of Muncie, Indiana have been offering for sale and advertising Coach knock-off products. The complaint alleged that in February 2011, the store was offering for sale fifty-five Coach knock-off items including flip-flops, handbags, wallets, and sunglasses. The complaint made claims of trademark counterfeiting, trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, false designation of origin, false advertising, trademark dilution, copyright infringement, common law trademark infringement, common law unfair competition, forgery, and counterfeiting. We blogged about the case here.

In the court’s decision granting summary judgment, it noted that Coach had requested summary judgment and Ms. Barnes had failed to reply. The court then reviewed the elements of trademark infringement and counterfeiting, found there was no factual dispute and found that the Coach should be granted summary judgment on the issue of liability. The court has ordered Coach to submit evidence on its damages.

Practice Tip: As the court noted, “A corporate officer, director or shareholder is, as a general matter, personally liable for all torts which she authorizes or directs or in which she participates, even if she acted as an agent of the corporation and not on her own behalf.” The court also noted that “an officer of a corporation can be personally liable for trademark infringement if the officer is a moving, active conscious force behind the defendant corporation’s infringement.” Citing Bambu Sales, Inc. v. Sultana Crackers, Inc., 683 F.Supp. 899, 913-14 (E.D.N.Y.1988). In this case, the court held that Ms. Barnes is personally liable because she was the sole owner of Chaos and managed all of the store’s business decisions.

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Indianapolis, IN – Federal authorities, led by the Homeland Security Investigations division of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have seized counterfeit Super Bowl goods, shut down websites and made one arrest in a targeted effort to crack down on counterfeit sports goods and websites. According to a government press release, federal authorities seized fake jerseys, caps, t-shirts and other souvenirs illegally bearing NFL and other sports trademarks, trade names and copyrights.SuperBowl46.jpg According to the press release, the operation has been ongoing since October 2011 and culminated in the raids and arrest on Thursday, February 2. The total value of the goods seized was reported to be $4.8 million.

Indianapolis Metro Police Department also participated in the operation, which focused on street vendors in and around the Indianapolis Super Bowl village as well as counterfeit sellers around the world. According to a news report, a store called Off the Wall in Fort Wayne was one of the stores raided by federal agents.

The operation, dubbed Operation Fake Sweep, also targeted websites that illegally stream sports events and sell counterfeit goods. Over 300 websites were shut down. Yonjo Quiroa of Michigan was the sole person arrested. He has been charged with criminal copyright infringement based on his alleged operation of websites that illegally streamed live sporting events. According to news report, many of the websites selling counterfeit goods were from.

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Indianapolis; IN – Trademark lawyers for Coach Inc. of New York, New York filed a trademark and copyright infringement suit in the Southern District of Indianaalleging Kristy Davidson d/b/a Kristy’s Trends of Greenfield, Indiana infringed the Coach’sCoach.jpg registered trademarks and copyrights, including the copyrighted works known as the “Coach Design Elements” including the SIGNATURE C DESIGNS, Registration No. VAu1-046658, COACH 70th ANNIVERSARY SNAPHEAD PRINT Registration No. VA1-010-918, and COACH CLOVER DESIGN, which have been registered by the US Copyright Office, and approximately fifty trademarks that have been registered by the US Trademark Office.

The complaint alleges that Ms. Davidson is designed, distributed, sold, promoted and offered for sale products that bear the Coach marks and copyrights without authorization from Coach. Essentially, Coach claims the Ms. Davidson is offering counterfeit Coach products for sale. The complaint alleges that on November 7, 2011, a Coach Representative visited Kristy’s Trends in Greenfield, Indiana and purchased a handbag bearing the Coach marks, but that was not an authentic Coach handbag. The complaint alleges that the representative saw 20 additional handbags, six wallets, and a pair of boots bearing the Coach marks that was offered for sale. The complaint states that Coach’s trademark attorneys sent a cease and desist letter to Ms. Davidson thereafter. In response, Ms. Davidson surrendered handbags, wallets, sunglasses and boots bearing the Coach marks.

The complaint makes claims of copyright infringement, trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, false designation of origin, false advertising, trademark dilution, unfair competition, forgery and counterfeiting. Coach seeks an injunction, damages of $2,000,000 per counterfeit mark, actual and punitive damages, costs and attorney fees.

Practice Tip: Coach has been very aggressive in protecting its intellectual property rights in Indiana courts in the last year. Coach’s intellectual property attorneys have filed eight similar lawsuits in Indiana courts, which Indiana Intellectual Property Law and News has blogged and that are linked below.
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Lafayette, IN – The Northern District of Indiana granted a default judgment, damages and a permanent injunction in a trademark infringement case involving a hold-over franchisee. Century 21 Real Estate, LLC Century 21 Logo.JPGof Parsippany, New Jersey had filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in the Northern District of Indiana alleging that Destiny Real Estate Properties LLC, f/d/b/a Century 21 Destiny Real Estate and Daniel Sutton of Lowell, Indiana infringed Century 21’s trademarks and service marks. Indiana Intellectual Property Law and News blogged about the case when it was filed. The defendants failed to file any response to the Century 21’s complaint. After finding that the defendants had been properly served, the court granted Century 21’s motion for a judgment by default.

The Court analyzed a legal question that has not yet been examined by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and that different federal circuit courts have reached different results: “whether a hold-over franchisee’s continued unauthorized use of a franchisor’s mark constitutes counterfeiting[?]” The court found that the defendants use to Century 21’s mark was counterfeiting in this case and noted “The Court can conceive of no reason why an ex-franchisee should escape liability for counterfeiting simply because that person had access to franchise’s original marks because of the former relationship[.]” The court then analyzed the damages claims of Century 21 and awarded $113,656 plus attorneys fees of $5,419 and costs of $595 to Century 21. The Court also granted Century’s 21’s request for a permanent restraining order that prevents the defendants from using the Century 21 marks.

Practice Tip: Since the Court found that the defendant’s trademark infringement was counterfeiting, treble damages were available to Century 21. This case explains how intellectual property rights are generally well protected in statutory damages provisions and explains how the trebling of damages, ability to recover a defendant’s “profits” and recovery of attorney fees can lead to significant recoveries, even without the intellectual property owner having to prove “actual” damages.
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South Bend, IN – Trademark lawyers for Coach, Inc. of New York, New York filed a trademark and copyright infringement suit in the Northern District of Indianaalleging The Treasure Box, Inc. of Elkhart, Indiana infringed the Coach’s registered trademarks and copyrights, including the copyrighted works known as the “Coach Design Elements” Coach.jpgincluding the SIGNATURE C DESIGNS, Registration No. VAu1-046658, COACH 70th ANNIVERSARY SNAPHEAD PRINT AND Registration No. VA1-010-918, COACH CLOVER DESIGN, which have been registered by the US Copyright Office, and approximately fifty trademarks that have been registered by the US Trademark Office.

The complaint alleges that the Treasure Box has advertised, sold, or offered for sale handbags, wallets, key chains, earrings and sunglasses bearing the Coach marks without authorization from Coach. The complaint states that on October 25, 2011, a Coach representative visited The Treasure Box store in Elkhart, Indiana and purchased a handbag, wallet and key chain bearing the Coach marks.. The representative also saw 25-30 additional items for sale in the store that bore the Coach marks, all of which were counterfeit items. The complaint makes claims of copyright infringement, trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, false designation of origin, false advertising, trademark dilution, unfair competition, forgery and counterfeiting. Coach seeks an injunction, damages of $2,000,000 per counterfeit mark, actual and punitive damages, costs and attorney fees.

Practice Tip: Coach’s latest compliant is very similar to several others it has recently filed in Indiana, which Indiana Intellectual Property Law and News has blogged and that are linked below.
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Indianapolis, IN – A trademark and copyright infringement case filed in the Southern District of California has been transferred to the Southern District of Indiana. Intellectual property attorneys for SoftMaker and SEG, both of Nuremberg, Germany have filed a trademark and copyright infringement suit in the Southern District of California alleging that Third Scroll of Indianapolis, Indiana infringed trademark registration no. 3,051,159 for the mark SOFTMAKERSoftmaker.jpg and trademark registration no. 3,104,173 for the mark TEXTMAKER registered by the US Trademark Office. The case was transferred to the Southern District of Indiana on November 29.

The plaintiffs are software development companies. The complaint states the suit is based on the defendant’s production, importation and sale of hacked copies of the plaintiff’s software bearing the plaintiff’s trademarks. The complaint alleges that the defendants offered pirated copies of the plaintiff’s software online, including the programs Textmaker®, Planmaker®, and Softmaker Presentations®. The plaintiff states that its software is protected by U.S. copyright laws and international treaties recognizing copyrights. The copyrighted software also bears the plaintiff’s trademarks. The complaint makes claims of copyright infringement, “circumvention of copyright protection measures,” trademark infringement and counterfeiting, false designation of origin, and unfair competition.

Practice Tip: This case was originally filed in the Southern District of California. The only allegation of a connection to California in the complaint is that defendant’s website was accessible there. The defendant succeeded in getting the case transferred to Indiana, the domicile of the defendant company.
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Indianapolis, IN – French Lick Resorts and Casino Group has been sued in the Southern District of Indiana by Pamela Mougin for Copyright Infringement, violation of the Visual Artist Rights Act (17 USC § 106A), Breach of Contract and Unjust Enrichment. The West Baden Hotel is a historic hotel in Southern Indiana that was extremely popular in the early 1,900’s. However, it fell in to disrepair. In the 2,000’s it was restored in connection and converted into a hotel / casino in an effort to revitalize the economically depressed region.

Copyright attorneys for Ms. Mougin allege that in 2006, she was commissioned by a Colorado Interior Design firm, Worth Group, to create “an archival hand-painted canvas series of angels with topography of story for the resorts Resort Dome.jpgWest Baden Hotel, featuring angels from an existing work in the dome of the resorts hotel.”

Later, in November, 2007, Mougin claims she entered into an agreement with the hotel whereby, in exchange for $2,800 she granted permission on a “one time print agreement only” to make “large prints to be displayed at the resort West Baden Hotel.” Allegedly, in the agreement, the hotel acknowledged Mougin’s Copyrights in the Works.

Copyright lawyers for Mougin further claim that on October 13, 2008, she discovered that additional “3D relief productions of the Works were present in the upper lobby mezzanine of the hotel” and at least 48 outdoor banners hanging on light posts. She alleges she notified the French Lick Resort of Copyright Infringement that same day.

The lawsuit was filed October 11, 2011, apparently two days before the 3 year Copyright statute of limitations would have run on the copyright claim.

Practice Tip: This lawsuit raises several interesting issues, among them, the scope of Copyright in Ms. Mougin’s work, since the complaint alleges that she made her angels from copies of what was preexisting at the hotel. The complaint also raises issues of the interplay between Copyright Infringement and Breach of Contract, as Mougin admits that the hotel had rights in the Copyrighted Works, although Mougin claims the scope of that license has been exceeded. Also, it appears that Ms. Mougin’s claim for Unjust Enrichment is preempted by the Copyright Act, as its only factual basis appears to be acts that would constitute copyright Infringement. It is unclear why Worth Group is named a Defendant; as no specific actions of it are implicated.
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Chief Judge Philip P. Simon of the Northern District of Indiana has award a default judgment and $30,000 in damages to Coach, Inc. of New York, New York in a trademark infringement case over the sale of knock-off Coach purses against a Gary, Indiana business.

In June 2010, trademark attorneys for Coach filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in the Northern District of Indiana alleging that Tom’s Treasure Chest of Gary, Indiana infringed 48 trademarks registered with the US Trademark Office. Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Coach.jpgCoach also alleged Tom’s Treasure Chest infringed the copyrighted works of Registration No. VAu000704542, LEGACY STRIPE, Registration No. VA0001228917, SIGNATURE C DESIGNS, Registration No. VAu1-046658, COACH 70th ANNIVERSARY SNAPHEAD PRINT AND Registration No. VA1-010-918, COACH CLOVER DESIGN which have been registered by the US Copyright Office. The complaint alleged that a Coach representative purchased two handbags labeled “Coach” at Tom’s Treasure Chest store in Gary on May 12, 2010. The purchased handbags were not genuine Coach products, rather they were knock-off products. The complaint made claims of trademark counterfeiting, trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, false designation of origin and false advertising, trademark dilution, copyright infringement, unfair competition, criminal forgery, and criminal counterfeiting.

Since Tom’s has failed to respond to the lawsuit in anyway, Coach filed a motion for default judgment. The court in its opinion granted the default judgment. The court then turned to the issue of damages. Coach sought statutory damages of $100,000 per violation, which would total $600,000 and argued that these damages were reasonable since Coach could have sought up to $12,000,000 under the statute. The court, however, found this amount was unreasonable. The court noted the only allegation was the sale of two infringing handbags and that Coach had not presented evidence of actual damages in this range. The court concluded that damages in the amount of $5,000 per violation for a total of $30,000. The court also awarded attorney fees and costs.

Practice Tip: Coach filed a nearly identical complaint against J & J.S. Petroleum just a few days ago. Indiana Intellectual Property Law News blogged about case here.

This case illustrates the importance of seeking legal counsel from a trademark infringement lawyer who will properly respond to a lawsuit if you are served with a similar complaint and summons. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55(b)(2) governs default judgment and allows the court to enter a default judgment after considering numerous factors. Here, the court gave great weight to the fact that the lawsuit was filed in June 2010 and Tom’s had not filed any type of response. The court also considered that “it’s in the public’s interest to protect intellectual property from trademark infringement.”
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Indianapolis, IN – Trademark lawyers for Coach, Inc. of New York, New York have filed a trademark infringement suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging J & JS Petroleum, Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana infringed the forty-eight trademarks registered with the US Trademark Office. In this suit, CoachThumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Coach.jpg also alleges J & JS infringed the copyrighted works of Registration No. VAu000704542, LEGACY STRIPE, Registration No. VA0001228917, SIGNATURE C DESIGNS, Registration No. VAu1-046658, COACH 70th ANNIVERSARY SNAPHEAD PRINT AND Registration No. VA1-010-918, COACH CLOVER DESIGN which have been registered by the US Copyright Office.

The complaint against J & JS alleges that the company operates a gas station and convenience store at 9025 Brookville Road in Indianapolis where a Coach representative purchased a purse labeled “Coach” on August 21, 2011. The knock-off purse was purchased for $59.99, rather than the normal retail price of the Coach purse of approximately $298. Coach had not authorized the use of the “Coach” mark on the purse sold. The Coach representative viewed additional product labeled “Coach” for sale in the store. The complaint makes claims of trademark counterfeiting, trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, false designation of origin and false advertising, trademark dilution, copyright infringement, unfair competition, criminal forgery, and criminal counterfeiting.

Practice Tip: Coach has recently been very aggressively defending its intellectual property rights in Indiana. Indiana Intellectual Property Law News has previously reported on several cases here:

Coach Files Two Trademark and Copyright Infringement Lawsuits in Northern District Over Knock-Off Coach Items

Coach, Inc. Sues Chaos of Muncie and Angelina’s Unique Boutique for Trademark and Trade Dress Infringement For Sale of Coach Knock-Off Products

Coach, Inc. and Coach Services, Inc. Sue Diggz Clothing LLC and Lori Harth for trademark and trade dress infringement
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Indianapolis, IN – Chief Judge ROBB of the Court of Appeals for Indiana Indiana Court of Appeals.jpghas issued an opinion regarding An-Hung Yao and Yu-Ting Lin Houston, Texas; who were charged with counterfeiting, theft, and corrupt business influence Huntington County, Indiana Circuit Court based upon the sale of toy guns that allegedly infringement federally registered trademarks.

Defendant Lin operates a business in Houston, Texas called Generation Guns, which imports toy guns from Taiwan and sells the toy guns to the public, including the GA-112 Airsoft gun. Defendant Yao is the vice-president of a Houston bank and is a friend of Lin who allegedly occasionally helps Lin with the Generation Guns business. In 2009, firearms manufacturer Heckler & Koch engaged Continental Enterprises of Indianapolis, to investigate possible trademark infringement claims of H&K’s federally registered trademarks. Continental Enterprises placed orders with Generation Guns for several guns that it believed to infringe H&K’s trademarks and had the products delivered to addresses in Huntington County, Indiana. Continental Enterprises then filed a report with the Indiana State Police. The prosecuting attorney in Huntington County then charged Lin and Yao each with three counts of counterfeiting, three counts of theft, and one count of corrupt business influence “based upon the similarities between the GA-112 airsoft guns and H&K’s firearm.”

The defendants had filed a motion to dismiss in the trial court arguing that the court did not have jurisdiction since all the alleged act occurred in Texas and also argued that the toy gun was not a “written instrument” for the purposes of the counterfeiting crime. The trial court found that it did have jurisdiction, but dismissed the counterfeiting claim, finding that toy was not a “written instrument.” In this interlocutory appeal, the Court of Appeals reversed and held that the trial court should have dismissed the case since Indiana did not have territorial jurisdiction. The court looked to Indiana Code 35-41-1-1(b), which states that Indiana has jurisdiction if conduct or a result that is an element of the crime occurred in Indiana. The court noted that jurisdiction in a criminal case is a factual issue for the jury to determine. However, the court noted that there was no factual dispute about whether the acts occurred in Texas, and therefore, the case should have been dismissed as a matter of law. The court did not address the claim that the toy gun was not a written instrument.

Practice Tip: This case is interesting to Indiana intellectual property attorneys for a number of reasons. First, it involves Continental Enterprises, a frequent litigant in Indiana intellectual property lawsuit. Indiana Intellectual Property Law News has previously blogged about Continental Enterprises cases here.

Secondly, this case addresses the unique issue of territorial jurisdiction for criminal actions. In this case the court looked to Indiana Code 35-41-1-1(b), which states that Indiana has jurisdiction if conduct or a result that is an element of the crime occurred in Indiana. The court noted that jurisdiction in a criminal case is a factual issue for the jury to determine. However, the court noted that there was no factual dispute about whether the acts occurred in Texas, and therefore, the case should have been dismissed as a matter of law. This is a different standard than Indiana courts’ personal jurisdiction for purposes of civil liability.

Finally, the Court of Appeals decided that the trial court did not have jurisdiction, there by evading the issues of how a “product” like a toy gun, can be a “written instrument” for purposes of counterfeiting criminal offense. Another recent Court of Appeals opinion addressed the definition of a written instrument.
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