Indiana Intellectual Property Law News
Indianapolis, Indiana – Plaintiff Mecca Companies Inc. d/b/a Annex Student Living of Indianapolis, Indiana filed a trademark infringement complaint in the Southern District of Indiana against Defendant Trinitas Ventures LLC of Lafayette, Indiana.
Mecca offers student-housing services in three states, including Indiana and Ohio, under THE ANNEX or ANNEX. It states that it began to use ANNEX to identify its student housing in 2013 but makes no mention of having received a federal or state trademark registration.
Mecca contends that Trinitas offers competing services in an Ohio student-housing property using the name ANNEX and asserts that this use is likely to cause consumer confusion. In this federal lawsuit, brought by Indiana trademark attorneys for Mecca, the following causes of action are listed:
• Count I: Trademark Infringement and Unfair Competition Under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)
• Count II: Violation of Ohio Deceptive Trade Practices Act, ORC 4165.02• Count III: Common Law Unfair Competition under Ohio Law
Mecca seeks damages, including punitive damages, along with injunctive relief, costs and attorneys’ fees.
The case was assigned to Judge William T. Lawrence and Magistrate Judge Mark J. Dinsmore in the Southern District of Indiana and assigned Case No. 1:16-cv-02499-WTL-MJD.