Indiana Intellectual Property Law News

October 26, 2015

Indiana Patent Litigation: German Lawyers and Law Firm Sued on Allegations of Misappropriation of Intellectual Property

South Bend, Indiana – An Indiana patent attorney for Plaintiffs Never Lost Golf, LLC of South Bend, Indiana; Michael Carnell, a domiciliary of California who resides in Berlin, Germany and who does business as The Never Lost Golf Tee Saver and The Never Lost Golf Tee Saver Mat System (“NLG”); and Teresa O’Keefe and Grant Holloway, Trustees for the N.L.G. Living Trust filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of Indiana alleging infringement of NLG’s German Patent A63B 57/100, which has been filed with the German Patent Office. Patent protection for NLG has also been sought with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Three Defendants in this litigation, Maia Steinert, Chrisoph Stephan and Ralf Menwegen, are partners and/or members of Steinert & Stephan, a German law firm. Steinert has been accused by Plaintiffs of “aggregious [sic] conduct in asserting ownership interest in the NLG German patent.” Stephan and Menwegen were accused of having been “involved in the patent process.”

Carnell contends that he retained Steinert & Stephan in 2010 to represent him in filing for a German patent for the Never Lost Golf product. He adds in his complaint that any intellectual property rights obtained by these filings were supposed to accrue to him alone. Carnell asserts that, subsequent to hiring the Steinert & Stephan and utilizing their services in pursuit of a German patent, Steinert applied for a Never Lost Golf patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This filing, states Carnell, includes an assertion by Steinert that she was the sole owner of the patent rights associated with the NLG product. He states that her actions demonstrate an attempt to illegally claim rights to intellectual property that she knew was not hers, both in the United States and in Germany.

Two additional Defendants, Markus Schumann and Harribert Pamp, have been named as co-conspirators. Plaintiffs contend that they conspired with Steinert to commit fraud and perjury in support of Steinert’s assertion of ownership in NLG’s German patent.

Defendants seek equitable relief along with damages, costs and attorney fees.

October 23, 2015

International Intellectual Property Law: Intellectual Property and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

On October 4, 2015, Ministers of the 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership (“TPP”) countries – Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States, and Vietnam – announced conclusion of their negotiations. The result is an agreement that has been promoted as enhancing economic growth; supporting the creation and retention of jobs; enhancing innovation, productivity and competitiveness; raising living standards; reducing poverty; and promoting transparency, good governance, and enhanced labor and environmental protections.

TPP’s chapter regarding intellectual property (“IP”) covers patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs, geographical indications, trade secrets, other forms of intellectual property, and enforcement of intellectual property rights, as well as areas in which participating countries agree to cooperate. The IP chapter will make it easier for businesses to search, register, and protect IP rights in new markets, which is particularly important for small businesses.

The chapter establishes standards for patents, based on the World Trade Organization’s (“WTO”) agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (“TRIPS”), and international best practices. On trademarks, it provides protections of brand names and other signs that businesses and individuals use to distinguish their products in the marketplace. The chapter also requires certain transparency and due process safeguards with respect to the protection of new geographical indications, including for geographical indications recognized or protected through international agreements. These include confirmation of understandings on the relationship between trademarks and geographical indications, as well as safeguards regarding the use of commonly used terms.

October 21, 2015

Northern District Transfers Copyright Infringement Litigation for Lack of Venue

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Fort Wayne, Indiana – District Judge Jon E. DeGuilio of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana transferred a lawsuit alleging copyright to the Southern District of Indiana, citing a lack of venue in the Northern District.

In this litigation, Angela E. Brooks-Nwenga, acting pro se, alleges that The Mind Trust, United Way of Central Indiana, Central Indiana Education Alliance, Phalen Leadership Academies and Indianapolis Public Schools, all of Indianapolis, Indiana, infringed her copyright work, “Transitioning Into Responsible Students.” Among the wrongdoings asserted are infringement involving Defendants’ use of “Bridges To Success Education School Model” and “Phalen Leadership Academies School Model”

This copyright lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Indiana, with Brooks-Nwenga acting as her own copyright attorney. The court ordered Plaintiff to show cause why the litigation should not be transferred to the Southern District of Indiana. Brooks-Nwenga argued to the court that she lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but the court was not persuaded by this, noting that the statute governing venue in a federal lawsuit, 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b), provides that:

a civil action may be brought in:

(1) a judicial district in which any defendant resides, if all defendants are residents of the State in which the district is located;

(2) a judicial district in which a substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claim occurred, or a substantial part of property that is the subject of the action is situated; or

(3) if there is no district in which an action may otherwise be brought as provided in this section, any judicial district in which any defendant is subject to the court’s personal jurisdiction with respect to such action.

None of these criteria applied to this litigation. Brooks-Nwenga also contended that her prior litigation in the Southern District of Indiana had been excessively delayed and that her lawsuit had not received a fair and unbiased hearing. The court was similarly unswayed by this argument, stating that the court would “not hear appeals from other district courts.”

Finally, the court noted that, while venue in the Northern District was improper, “a substantial part, if not all, of the events or omissions giving rise to Ms. Brooks-Ngwenya’s claim seem to have occurred in the Southern District of Indiana.” Consequently, the court ordered the litigation transferred.

October 19, 2015

Indiana Copyright Law: Court Holds That It Lacks Personal Jurisdiction Over Nebraska Copyright Defendant

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – The Southern District of Indiana held that copyright Defendant Rural Media Group Inc. of Gretna, Nebraska was subject to neither general nor specific personal jurisdiction and dismissed the copyright infringement lawsuit against it.

Plaintiff Larry Philpot of Indianapolis, Indiana is a professional photographer. He photographed Willie Nelson during a music concert in St. Louis, Missouri. Plaintiff Philpot later registered the photograph with the United States Copyright Office. He also licensed the photograph to be used by others under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

This lawsuit, filed by Philpot acting as his own copyright attorney, was brought when he learned that Defendant had allegedly published the copyrighted photograph on its website, www.myruraltv.com. In the lawsuit, Philpot contended that Defendant had infringed Plaintiff’s copyright by the unlicensed publication of the Nelson photograph. Philpot argued that the court could exercise both general and personal jurisdiction over Defendant.

In contrast, Defendant asked the Southern District of Indiana to dismiss the lawsuit for lack of personal jurisdiction, asserting via a declaration of one of its corporate officers that it “does not own, lease, occupy, or use any real or personal property in Indiana[,] . . . maintain an office in Indiana, maintain a registered agent in Indiana, maintain a bank account in Indiana, or pay taxes in Indiana” and that its “website and Facebook page do not specifically target the Indiana market, but rather target a mass national audience.”

District Judge William T. Lawrence granted the motion to dismiss. On the issue of general jurisdiction, the court noted that “Defendant is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business located in Gretna, Nebraska. Its only other office is located in Nashville, Tennessee.” The court stated that “general jurisdiction exists only when the [party’s] affiliations with the State in which suit is brought are so constant and pervasive as to render it essentially at home in the forum State”; it added that the prior standard of “substantial, continuous, and systematic course of business” was insufficient. Under the controlling jurisprudence, handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2014 case Daimler AG v. Bauman, such constant and pervasive contacts are, except in rare cases, present under only two circumstances: when the proposed forum state is the corporation’s principal place of business or its state incorporation. As neither of these conditions was met, and as this was not an exceptional case which might warrant a deviation from the standard rule, general jurisdiction was held to be improper.

The court held that an exercise of specific jurisdiction, a less stringent standard than general jurisdiction, would also be improper. While specific jurisdiction can be found where a defendant is accused of expressly aiming an intentional tort at the forum state, neither “express aiming” nor an intentional tort were in evidence.

The court denied several related motions by Plaintiff and granted Defendant’s motion to dismiss.

October 16, 2015

Indiana Trademark Law: Trademark Plaintiff Abused Legal Process; Trademark Defendant Awarded an Additional $175,000 in Attorneys’ Fees

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – In the trademark lawsuit between of Plaintiff Wine & Canvas Development, LLC (“WNC”) and Defendants Christopher Muylle, Theodore Weisser, YN Canvas CA, LLC and Weisser Management Group, LLC, the Southern District of Indiana found that Plaintiffs had engaged in abuse of process and awarded an additional $175,882.68 in attorneys’ fees and costs to Defendant Muylle.

Plaintiff WNC sued Defendants in 2011 on allegations of trademark infringement and false designation of origin after disputes arose regarding the parties’ franchising agreement. Defendants counterclaimed for abuse of process against WNC and its principals Anthony Scott (“Scott”), Tamara McCracken Scott (“Ms. McCracken”), and Donald McCracken (“Mr. McCracken”).

Following a November 2014 trial, the jury found in favor of Defendant Muylle, returning a verdict that there had been no trademark infringement or false designation of origin by Muylle. The jury also found for Muylle on his claim of abuse of process. It awarded him $81,000 from WNC, $81,000 from Scott, $81,000 from Ms. McCracken, and $27,000 from Mr. McCracken.

In this order, the court ruled on Muylle’s most recent petition for attorneys’ fees. These fees had been incurred after September 30, 2014 and consisted of attorneys’ fees that had been neither requested from the jury nor already paid as part of any of three prior payments of Muylle’s attorneys’ fees that had earlier been awarded by the court as sanctions against Plaintiff for failing to follow discovery or court rules.

The court evaluated both whether the fees should be awarded and, if so, whether the amount requested, $175,882.68, was reasonable. Under Seventh Circuit jurisprudence, attorneys’ fees are available when a trademark infringement lawsuit is deemed to be “exceptional.” An example of such an exceptional circumstance under the Lanham Act would be if the plaintiff lost and was also guilty of abuse of process.

The Plaintiff in this litigation lost. At trial, Muylle contended that the trademark infringement lawsuit had been brought for the purpose of causing him to incur considerable litigation costs to put on a defense and, thus, force the closing of the business. Muylle claimed that Scott had told him during a telephone conversation that Scott expected to lose the lawsuit against Muylle but that winning was not the goal of the litigation. Instead his goal was to put Defendants out of business. The jury found that Plaintiff had engaged in abuse of process.

The court also considered whether the amount of the fees was unreasonable. Judge Walton Pratt admitted that, at first blush, the fees did seem questionable for two months of legal services. Upon reviewing the detailed time records, however, the court found that neither the amount of time nor the rates charged per hour were unreasonable. The full amount of attorneys’ fees was awarded to Defendant.

October 15, 2015

DOJ Announces New Strategy to Combat Intellectual Property Crimes

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Washington, D.C. – The Justice Department has announced a new approach to combat intellectual property crimes. Grants to state and local law enforcement agencies totaling more than $3.2 million were also announced.

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch stated recently that the Justice Department will launch a new collaborative strategy to partner more closely with businesses in intellectual property enforcement efforts. Additionally, over $3.2 million will be awarded to ten jurisdictions to support state and local task forces in the training, prevention, enforcement and prosecution of intellectual property theft and infringement crimes.

“The digital age has revolutionized how we share information, store data, make purchases and develop products, requiring law enforcement to strengthen our defenses against cybercrime – one of my top priorities as Attorney General,” said Attorney General Lynch. “High-profile instances of hacking – even against large companies like Sony and Target – have demonstrated the seriousness of the threat all businesses face and have underscored the potential for sophisticated adversaries to inflict real and lasting harm.”

October 14, 2015

Indiana Patent and Trademark Litigation: Global Archery Sues Seattle-Based Company for Infringement

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Fort Wayne, Indiana – An Indiana intellectual property attorney for Global Archery Products, Inc. of Ashley, Indiana commenced litigation in the Northern District of Indiana alleging trademark and patent infringement by Jordan Gwyther d/b/a Larping.org and UpshotArrows.com of Seattle, Washington.

Two patents are at issue in this lawsuit: U.S. Patent No. 8,449,413 (the “`413 Patent”) and U.S. Patent No. 8,932,159 (the “`159 Patent”). Both are entitled “Non-Lethal Arrow.” Also at issue are U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,208,867 and 4,208,868 for ARCHERY TAG for use in connection with non-lethal arrows. The patents and trademarks have been registered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Global contends that Jordan Gwyther d/b/a Larping.org (“Larping”) is selling and offering for sale several products including a “Crossbow Bolt,” a “Flat Tip Larp Arrow,” a “Glow in the Dark Larp Arrow” and a “Round Tip Larp Arrow.” These arrows are marketed at www.upshotarrows.com. Global asserts that Larping is violating Global’s trademark rights by, inter alia, using the ARCHERY TAG trademark on advertising and as a paid “key word” on one or more search engines in connection with the marketing of these products. Global also claims that Larping’s products infringe upon two of Global’s patents.

In addition to patent infringement and trademark infringement, Global asserts various additional claims against Larping. The counts listed in this federal lawsuit are as follows:

• Count I: Infringement of the ‘413 Patent by Larping
• Count II: Infringement of the ‘159 Patent by Larping
• Count III: Infringement of Federal Trademarks
• Count IV: False Designation of Origin/Unfair Competition
• Count V: False Advertising
• Count VI: Tortious Interference with Contractual Relations
• Count VII: Tortious Interference with Business Relationships
• Count VIII: Criminal Mischief

• Count IX: Deception

Global seeks equitable relief along with damages, including punitive damages, costs and attorney fees.

October 12, 2015

Federal Circuit Law: Laches Preserved as a Defense to Patent Infringement

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Washington, D.C. – The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decided the matter of SCA Hygiene v. First Quality Baby Products, a case about adult incontinence products.

At issue in the case was the legal doctrine of “laches.” The laches doctrine penalizes a plaintiff who “sleeps on” his or her rights by waiting a long time to file a lawsuit after learning of a violation of those rights. Laches, an equitable defense, protects those who would be harmed by the assertion of those rights after a plaintiff’s delay. For example, in the case of a lawsuit asserting patent infringement, laches could work against a patent owner who saw an infringing product emerge in 2000 but waited until 2015 to sue, after a significant investment of time and resources had been put into the product.

The Federal Circuit had long recognized laches as a limitation on patent owners’ rights. But a recent Supreme Court case, Petrella v. MGM, called the doctrine into question. In Petrella, the Supreme Court held that laches was not a defense in copyright cases. Given the ruling in Petrella, the Federal Circuit opted to hear this litigation en banc to determine whether laches should still be a defense in patent cases.

The court held that the defense should be preserved. Proponents of laches in the patent-infringement context (see, e.g., Electronic Frontier Foundation‘s friend-of-the-court brief), contend that patent defendants and copyright defendants are in very different positions when it comes to defending against stale claims. Patent defendants, unlike their copyright counterparts, often defend themselves by showing that the patent owner’s claimed invention was obvious at the time of filing (thus making the patent invalid). But, by delaying a lawsuit, a patent owner can make it difficult for the defendant to find evidence of what people in the field knew about or would have found obvious back when the application was filed. This is especially true in the Internet age, those proponents argue. Websites are constantly rewritten. Software code gets lost or is not documented. In sum, without the defense of laches, patent owners can sit and wait for time to destroy the evidence that an alleged infringer needs to defend herself.

The decision came out 6-5, meaning five judges of the Federal Circuit think Petrella changed the availability of the doctrine of laches in both copyright infringement and patent infringement lawsuits. Given the closeness of the decision, this case may go to the Supreme Court.

This edited article was provided by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit group which advocates for innovators and users of technology. The article has been licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

October 7, 2015

Patent Office Issues 223 Patents To Indiana Citizens in September 2015

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

The U.S. Patent Office issued the following 223 patent registrations to persons and businesses in Indiana in September 2015, based on applications filed by Indiana patent attorneys:

PAT. NO.		Title
D739,945		Blood glucose meter
D739,920		Valve
D739,723		Container
9,148,986		Multi-curved, unibody fiberglass touchscreen kiosk with interchangeable component cages
9,146,135		Meter display during power interruption
9,146,070		Modular adjustable cam stop arrangement
9,145,938		Metal matrix composite
9,145,566		Renewable engine fuel and method of producing same
9,145,451		Glucagon superfamily peptides exhbiting G protein coupled receptor activity
9,145,437		Urea compounds

October 5, 2015

179 Trademark Registrations Issued to Indiana Companies in September 2015

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

The U.S. Trademark Office issued the following 179 trademark registrations to persons and businesses in Indiana in September 2015 based on applications filed by Indiana trademark attorneys:

Registration No.	Word Mark	Click To View
4822217	EARTHBITES	LIVE
4822216	OVERLAND RED	LIVE
4822215	GREAT PLAINS FEAST	LIVE
4821983	MISSION EURASIA TRAIN TO LEAD. EQUIP TO SERVE.	LIVE
4821913	TRI-CON	LIVE
4821878	WEAVER CONSULTANTS GROUP	LIVE
4821834	EDGE MENTORING	LIVE
4821736	ALL SEASONS HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING CO. INC.	LIVE
4821516	TINY(ER) HOUSES	LIVE
4821488		LIVE
4823941	WAR HORSE BY RUSH	LIVE