43(B)log

JANUARY 13, 2023

Wolf Designs LLC v. Five 18 Designs LLC, F.Supp.3d 18, 2022) Wolf designs and installs “vehicle wraps,” large vinyl graphics or decals applied to car bodies. Copyright: Three of Wolf’s customers allegedly opted to hire Five 18 to install vehicle wraps featuring designs Wolf owned. But what about false advertising?

False Advertising 72

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Registration 72

43(B)log

AUGUST 29, 2024

Most of the claims failed on summary judgment, but part of Woodland’s claim against Fiskars for false advertising, based on Fiskars’s statements about the cutting power of its tools, and some of its statements that certain products were designed in the United States, did create factual issues for trial.

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Designs 59

43(B)log

OCTOBER 28, 2024

May 20, 2024) Note: A jury found Kaijet liable for design patent and copyright infringement after this opinion, but rejected the TM claims, which I guess says something about a jury’s ability to distinguish claims. Email communications repeatedly referenced Sanho’s design, and expressed a desire to use similar elements in its own product.

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Designs 59

43(B)log

MARCH 9, 2022

False designation of origin/false advertising: Lasoff v. And it dismissed false advertising claims as “duplicative of his infringement claim.” “[T]he URL merely shows how the website’s data is organized and/or the search term entered by the consumer, and … this does not violate trademark law.” So too here.

False Advertising 69

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Brands 69

43(B)log

JUNE 9, 2021

Carrier & Rebecca Tushnet, An Antitrust Framework for False Advertising , 106 Iowa L. 1841 (2021) From the introduction: Federal law presumes that false advertising harms competition. Federal law also presumes that false advertising is harmless or even helpful to competition. This makes no sense.

False Advertising 52

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Marketing 52

43(B)log

APRIL 29, 2024

He posted the Cube design and 3D print files on Thingiverse.com, the largest site for 3D print objects. Kitchen Cube also stated on its website that “we designed and manufactured every kitchen measuring device in one easy to use gadget.” False advertising: Only ok against Kitchen Cube. 8-23-cv-01698-MEMF-ADS (C.D.

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Copyright Infringement 59

43(B)log

AUGUST 9, 2021

The design, implementation, and utilization of the relevant defendants’ load balancing software necessitated the their knowledge of the entire scheme: it was designed and used for rotating merchant accounts to avoid detection of a scheme to defraud consumers.

False Advertising 69

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Designs 69

43(B)log

OCTOBER 29, 2021

27, 2021) Ideavillage sued CCB for trademark infringement and false designation of origin related to Ideavillage’s “Copper Fit” line of copper-infused compression garments. Here, the court granted leave to amend to add a false advertising claim. Copper Compression Brands LLC, 2021 WL 5013799, No. 4604 (KPF) (S.D.N.Y.

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Design 59

43(B)log

OCTOBER 4, 2021

False advertising: This one survived: By listing LStar developments under the heading “Oak City Representative Developments,” “the proposal necessarily implies that defendant Oak City developed those properties.” False designation of origin: Failed to state a passing off claim, but Dastar didn’t bar a reverse passing off claim.

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Contracts 59

43(B)log

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

2, 2021) Rex sued Zillow and the National Association of Realtors for antitrust and false advertising violations. Surprisingly, the antitrust claims survive, as do false advertising claims agains Zillow. C21-312 TSZ, 2021 WL 3930694 (W.D. NAR “is the nation’s largest trade association for real estate professionals.”

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Licensing 59

43(B)log

AUGUST 25, 2022

22, 2022) The court here allows an antitrust claim to proceed based in part on allegedly false/misleading statements because they form part of the alleged anticompetitive product-hopping scheme and because the unique characteristics of the drug market make market-based responses to false advertising difficult.

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Marketing 59

43(B)log

OCTOBER 12, 2021

7, 2021) Quidel appealed the grant of summary judgment to Siemens on Quidel’s Lanham Act false advertising claims and related state claims. Quidel alleged that Siemens advertised (1) but provided (2). And there was no triable issue on actual injury based on allegedly false advertising to the physicians.

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Marketing 59

43(B)log

APRIL 25, 2022

25, 2022) I know it probably seems sometimes like I approve of every expansive use of false advertising law, but sometimes even I find an aggressive position to go too far. It is enough if a defendant provides “a necessary product or service, without which the false advertising would not be possible.”

False Advertising 45

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Reporting 45

43(B)log

AUGUST 27, 2021

Plaintiffs allegd both direct and contributory false advertising, which requires (1) that the “third party in fact directly engaged in false advertising that injured the plaintiff” and (2) “that the defendant contributed to that conduct either by knowingly inducing, or causing the conduct, or by materially participating in it.”

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Business 59

43(B)log

APRIL 25, 2022

pictures of not-good plywood from case Plaintiffs alleged both direct and contributory false advertising. Defendants challenged whether plaintiffs identified any false or misleading statements by defendants. In Baldino’s Lock & Key Serv., Google, Inc., App’x 81 (4th Cir.

False Advertising 56

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Licensing 56

43(B)log

AUGUST 11, 2021

UpCodes, Inc., 2021 WL 1236106, Nos. 6261 (VM) & 20 Civ. 4316 (VM) (S.D.N.Y.

False Advertising 64

False Advertising Copying Advertising Advertising 64

43(B)log

OCTOBER 18, 2024

Although the court dismissed a contract claim, copyright and false advertising claims survived. And they allegedly copied golf courses created on Perfect Golf’s course design platform. And then the court upheld a false advertising claim that seems quite problematic to me. 3d 1137 (9th Cir.

False Advertising 52

False Advertising Contracts Advertising Advertising 52

43(B)log

SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

The parties previously partnered nonexclusively so that PureThink would sell and support the commercial version of Neo4j; upon termination, PureThink expressly agreed to “cease using any trademarks, service marks and other designations of Plaintiffs.” Summary judgment granted on state and federal false advertising claims.

False Advertising 64

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Licensing 64

43(B)log

JUNE 17, 2022

7, 2022) The court upheld a contempt finding based on an underlying false advertising claim. The district court found that these violations caused harm because they “were designed to create a false continuity between Italian VSL#3 and the De Simone Formulation so that VSL#3 could keep its prior customers and potentially poach new ones.”

False Advertising 64

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Litigation 64

JD Supra Law

SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

and its affiliated parties (“Woodland”), asserting design patent infringement, false advertising, trade secret. 26, 2024) - On August 26, 2024, the Western District of Wisconsin issued a decision adjudicating a number of motions in a case involving a thicket of intellectual property claims and counterclaims. By: Irwin IP LLP

Design Patent 64

Design Patent Patent Infringement False Advertising Designs 64

Patently-O

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

TaylorMade Golf Company teed off a dispute over golf club design and filed a patent infringement lawsuit on January 31 st, 2024, in the Southern District of California against Costco and Southern California Design Company alleging infringement and false advertising relating to five of TaylorMade’s patents related to golf irons.

False Advertising 102

False Advertising Invention Advertising Advertising 102

43(B)log

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

23, 2024) The AG sued sellers of “unfinished frames and receivers” — also known as “80% lowers” or “receiver blanks” —designed to evade restrictions on gun sales. Arm or Ally, LLC, 2024 WL 756474, No. 22-CV-6124 (JMF) (S.D.N.Y.

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Marketing 59

43(B)log

DECEMBER 18, 2023

15, 2023) Simpson sued its competitor MiTek for using Simpson part numbers for structural connectors/fasteners for use in the construction industry in its catalogs/other promotional material; the court here, after a nonjury trial before the magistrate judge, rather comprehensively rejects its false advertising, trademark, and copyright claims. (It

False Advertising 64

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Copyright 64

SpicyIP

JANUARY 30, 2024

or false advertising – the defendant claims to be the ‘inventor of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani’; or is there an actual ‘invention’ in question – owners of both restaurants call themselves ‘inventors’ of the dish? or the exclusive rights over a recipe – breach of confidentiality?;

False Advertising 116

False Advertising Social Media Inventor Advertising 116

43(B)log

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

This alleged chutzpah triggered the false advertising element of the case. “[T]he False advertising under the Lanham Act: The court identified two theories. (1) False advertising under the Lanham Act: The court identified two theories. (1) Query: are there actual damages? How would they be assessed?

False Advertising 45

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Copyright 45

43(B)log

OCTOBER 6, 2021

17, 2020) A lot of stuff here; I will ignore the non-false advertising related aspects of this mostly antitrust case. The court says the usual not-good things about false advertising’s relationship to antitrust, unfortunately: Deceptive speech usually doesn’t violate antitrust laws. 17-md-2785-DDC-TJJ (D.

False Advertising 45

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Marketing 45

43(B)log

JULY 24, 2023

Injury: Damages and disgorgement under the Lanham Act require injury (for false advertising, not trademark infringement, despite the same statutory language covering both; no, I am not going to stop pointing this out any time soon). And economic analysis is a valid means of proving an injury caused by false advertising.

False Advertising 92

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Marketing 92

43(B)log

OCTOBER 9, 2023

21, 2023) Deetsch alleged that he owned design patents for CPAP pillow products, which the Lei defendants infringed. They also allegedly used Deetch’s image in ads and on packaging, and allegedly falsely claimed on Amazon that their pillow products “were designed in the United States but are manufactured in China.”

Advertising 72

Advertising Advertising Brands Branding 72

43(B)log

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

It also criticized Lokring products and toolings and stated that “The major flaw in the Lokring design is the thin cross section in the middle of the fitting where the two pipes meet…. Its head of product development testified that the thin cross section had, as designed, worked acceptably for over 25 years.

False Advertising 45

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Designs 45

43(B)log

JANUARY 27, 2023

24, 2023) WS sued Wayfair, alleging patent infringement, Lanham Act false advertising, Massachusetts and California statutory unfair competition and Massachusetts false advertising based on alleged copying of West Elm products. Wayfair moved to dismiss the false advertising and unfair competition claims.

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Designs 59

43(B)log

AUGUST 29, 2024

23, 2024) Ortho-Tain sued defendants (including a bunch of former employees); I’ll focus only on the Lanham Act claims alleging that they falsely took credit for favorable results achieved by Ortho-Tain’s orthodontic appliance products used to treat various conditions such as sleep disordered breathing. Ortho-Tain, Inc. 2024 WL 3925408, No.

False Advertising 59

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Technology 59

43(B)log

APRIL 17, 2023

The court dismissed most of Quincy’s claims (counterfeiting, trademark infringement, and false designation of origin) except for false advertising—a rare (and conceptually sound) approach that other, non-default cases could benefit from. Even after default.

False Advertising 45

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Trademark 45

43(B)log

MAY 13, 2024

The Roundtable is designed to be a forum for the discussion of current trademark, false advertising, and right of publicity scholarship, covering a range of methodologies, topics, and perspectives. The Roundtable will cover the travel and lodging expenses for invited authors.

False Advertising 75

False Advertising Trademark Advertising Advertising 75

JD Supra Law

OCTOBER 17, 2024

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed and remanded a grant of summary judgment on a false advertising claim, concluding that a cause of action under Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act can arise when a party falsely claims to hold a patent on a product feature and advertises that feature in a misleading way.

False Advertising 67

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Patent 67

43(B)log

NOVEMBER 21, 2022

They try to articulate claims for trademark infringement, counterfeiting, false association, and false advertising. Thus, “[i]n context, the contested button is not false association or false advertising.” But there’s leave to amend!

False Advertising 72

False Advertising Fair Use Advertising Advertising 72

43(B)log

AUGUST 26, 2021

This equipment is designed and constructed only to collect a customer’s ordinary waste. Republic alleged tortious interference, trespass/conversion, and false advertising claims. Lanham Act false advertising: Smash’s website FAW said: Will my waste company let me Smash my trash? It’s not their waste, it’s yours.

False Advertising 72

False Advertising Advertising Advertising Business 72

43(B)log

MARCH 21, 2024

The Roundtable is designed to be a forum for the discussion of current trademark, false advertising, and right of publicity scholarship, covering a range of methodologies, topics, and perspectives. The Roundtable will cover the travel and lodging expenses for invited authors.

False Advertising 64

False Advertising Trademark Advertising Advertising 64