• Trademark

    Eight Means Eight

    When it comes to applying an eight-factor test, that is, as noted by the Ninth Circuit in Jada Toys v. Mattel, case no. 05-55627 (Filed Aug. 2, 2007, amended Feb. 21, 2008). Its a trademark case. In granting summary judgment to Jada on Mattel’s trademark infringement claim, the district court found as a matter of law that there was no likelihood of confusion between the marks (HOT RIGZ and HOT WHEELS), citing the dissimilarity of the marks as the only basis for the finding. The Ninth reverses because the district court failed to evaluate the facts under the venerable 8-factor Sleekcraft test for likelihood of confusion. Using the dissimilarity of…

  • Blogging,  Blogs by Law Profs,  Trademark

    The Evidence Prof Blog Arrives

    The Evidence Prof Blog is a new blog in the Law Professor Blogs Network. I only discovered them last Friday, though the blog has been up since October 2. They recently posted regarding Rhoades v. Avon Products, Inc., case no. 05-56047 (9th Cir. Oct. 15, 2007), which applied Federal Rule of Evidence 408 in a trademark declaratory relief action. Issue: Whether a letter from counsel proposing settlement of a trademark dispute (and containing threats of litigation absent settlement) can be admitted to establish that a plaintiff seeking a declaratory judgment of non-infringement of the sender’s trademark has the requisite “real and reasonable apprehension that it would be subject to liability”…

  • Ninth Circuit,  Trademark

    Rockin’ the Boat after a Trademark Settlement

    The ephemeral nature of trademark litigation comes out in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. v. Moose Creek, Inc., case no. 06-56774 (May 22, 2007). In 2004, Moose Creek sued Abercrombie, alleging that Abercrombie’s silhouette moose trademark infringed Moose Creek’s moose trademarks. Abercrombie, of course, claimed there was no likelihood of confusion between the marks. The same year, while the action was pending, Abercrombie started using a new “outline” moose trademark in addition to its silhouette moose mark. The parties settled the lawsuit with an agreement that allowed each of them to continue using their marks. After the case settled, Moose Creek started using two new moose trademarks, and now it was…