EllDan Corp. v. Steele (In re EllDan Corp.)
The remaining matter in this bankruptcy adversary proceeding was whether the covenants not to compete in the prepetition franchise agreements were enforceable. The debtor rejected the franchise agreements after the petition date of the bankruptcy proceedings. The court ruled that the covenants were reasonable in duration and geographic scope under Minnesota law and public interest was not harmed. The court also found that the debtor breached the covenants the franchisor was contractually entitled to injunctive relief.
Despite Rejection of Franchise Agreements in Bankruptcy, Debtor Remained Obligated Not to Compete
The remaining matter in this bankruptcy adversary proceeding was whether the covenants not to compete in the prepetition franchise agreements were enforceable. The debtor rejected the franchise agreements after the petition date of the bankruptcy proceedings. The court ruled that the covenants were reasonable in duration and geographic scope under Minnesota law and public interest was not harmed. The court also found that the debtor breached the covenants the franchisor was contractually entitled to injunctive relief.
New case on damages in the metaverse
An artist is liable for trademark infringement after creating and selling a series of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that depict fur-covered purses resembling the iconic Hermès Birkin bag.
Lack of quantifiable damages dooms IP complaint
In a California case concerning intellectual property (IP), the defendant asked the court to dismiss the plaintiff’s complaint alleging violations of the state’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL) and asking for damages.
U.S. District Court Grants in Part and Denies in Part Motions of Dismissal by Company Against Blockchain Researcher
The defendant, CasperLabs LLC, in this trademark dispute in U.S. District Court (California) moved for dismissal of eight causes of action from the plaintiff Vlad Zamfir’s (Zamfir) second amended complaint. The actions dealt primarily with trademark infringement and alleged damages therefrom. The actions also included allegations of fraud and misrepresentation under California law. After analysis of each of the actions, the court granted dismissal of some of the actions and denied dismissal of some of the actions.
Zamfir v. CasperLabs, LLC
The defendant, CasperLabs LLC, in this trademark dispute in U.S. District Court (California) moved for dismissal of eight causes of action from the plaintiff Vlad Zamfir’s (Zamfir) second amended complaint. The actions dealt primarily with trademark infringement and alleged damages therefrom. The actions also included allegations of fraud and misrepresentation under California law. After analysis of each of the actions, the court granted dismissal of some of the actions and denied dismissal of some of the actions.
IP damages experts dodge exclusion in trademark case
In a trademark infringement case in Florida, the plaintiff’s expert (an economist) was to testify as to corrective advertising damages, but the defendant made a motion that she be excluded.
Therapeutics MD, Inc. v. Evofem Biosciences, Inc.
In this trademark infringement case before a U.S. magistrate judge, the magistrate recommended to the District Court whether certain experts should be allowed to testify. The recommendations were for granting or denying motions of both parties to exclude testimony of the other party’s experts. The magistrate reviewed not only the qualifications of each of the experts, but also the subject of their testimony and opinions and whether they are appropriate and helpful to the court in resolving the issues. In the end, the magistrate recommended to deny the plaintiff’s motion to exclude the defendant’s experts and the defendant’s motion to exclude the plaintiff’s experts be granted in part and denied in part.
Magistrate Judge Recommends That the Plaintiff’s Motion to Exclude the Defendant’s Experts Be Denied and That the Defendant’s Motion to Exclude Plaintiff’s Experts Be Granted in Part and Denied in Part
In this trademark infringement case before a U.S. magistrate judge, the magistrate recommended to the District Court whether certain experts should be allowed to testify. The recommendations were for granting or denying motions of both parties to exclude testimony of the other party’s experts. The magistrate reviewed not only the qualifications of each of the experts, but also the subject of their testimony and opinions and whether they are appropriate and helpful to the court in resolving the issues. In the end, the magistrate recommended to deny the plaintiff’s motion to exclude the defendant’s experts and the defendant’s motion to exclude the plaintiff’s experts be granted in part and denied in part.
BVU News and Trends March 2021
A monthly roundup of key developments of interest to business valuation experts.
Monetary Remedies in Trademark Infringement Litigation
Remedies in the Lanham Act are used to punish wrongdoers in trademark infringement litigation, but courts applying that law have dealt differently with some key issues, especially monetary remedies. This article outlines some such problems and how the courts have dealt with them.
Fingertip guides to valuation cases in new BVR compendium guides
BVR’s valuation and case law compendium guides contain a very helpful feature: a handy summary table of hundreds of cases (by jurisdiction) that gives you the case name, date, specific court, and the main valuation issue in the case.
Revised resource for IP valuation insights and case law
New chapters and over 200 case digests—plus online access to the full text opinions—are available in BVR’s Intellectual Property Valuation Case Law Compendium, 4th edition.
Supreme Court reviews damages issue in trademark infringement case
The U.S. Supreme Court is about to hear arguments in a trademark infringement case that turns on whether the plaintiff, in order to obtain the infringer’s profits, has to show willful infringement by the defendant.
Court Nixes Royalty Calculation Relying on Unalike Prior Licenses
Court says prior licensing agreements undergirding expert’s hypothetical reasonable royalty have no bearing on what the parties would have negotiated for the trademark in dispute; court finds calculation too speculative to assist jury and excludes it.
Court Distinguishes Between Proving Fact of Damage and Amount
Court upholds lost profits award, noting at trial plaintiff established “the fact of damages” with the requisite certainty; defendant deprived plaintiff of learning about job applicants, some of whom plaintiff would have hired to perform additional work.
Whataburger grills Wonder Woman over logo
If next year's Wonder Woman pic is boffo, it will raise the stakes in the "friendly" talks going on between Whataburger and DC Comics over the superheroine's "stacked W" logo.
Arctic Cat v. Sabertooth Motor Group
Court says prior licensing agreements undergirding expert’s hypothetical reasonable royalty have no bearing on what the parties would have negotiated for the ...
Court Nixes Royalty Calculation Relying on Unalike Prior Licenses
Court says prior licensing agreements undergirding expert’s hypothetical reasonable royalty have no bearing on what the parties would have negotiated for the trademark in dispute; court finds calculation too speculative to assist jury and excludes it.
Court Distinguishes Between Proving Fact of Damage and Amount
Court upholds lost profits award, noting at trial plaintiff established “the fact of damages” with the requisite certainty; defendant deprived plaintiff of learning about job applicants, some of whom plaintiff would have hired to perform additional work.
Marten Transp., Ltd. v. Plattform Adver., Inc.
Court upholds lost profits award, noting at trial plaintiff established “the fact of damages” with the requisite certainty; defendant deprived plaintiff of learning about job applicants, some of whom plaintiff would have hired to perform additional work.
Trademark Damages Not Contingent on Established Royalty
District court dismisses plaintiffs’ overarching claim that a reasonable royalty was not an allowable damage theory in a trademark case, as well as its narrower claim that a royalty was available only to the plaintiff that could point to an established ro ...
ITT Corp. v. Xylem Group, LLC
District court dismisses plaintiffs’ overarching claim that a reasonable royalty was not an allowable damage theory in a trademark case, as well as its narrower claim that a royalty was available only to the plaintiff that could point to an established ro ...