Author Archives: rtushnet

Dastar bars some claims about “patented” statements but related superiority statements are still at issue

Posted on November 8, 2021 by rtushnet

BPI Sports, LLC v. ThermoLife Int’l, LLC, 2021 WL 4972975, No. 19-60505-CIV-SMITH (S.D. Fla. Jul. 27, 2021) BPI sued ThermoLife for violations of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), common law unfair competition, and false patent marking. ThermoLife’s Muscle … Continue reading →

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policy of paying only 85% purchase price for claims under service policy isn’t inherently deceptive/abusive

Posted on November 5, 2021 by rtushnet

Shuman v. SquareTrade Inc., 2021 WL 5113176, No. 20-cv-02725-JCS (N.D. Cal. Nov. 3, 2021) SquareTrade sells service contracts for the protection of consumer goods. Shuman alleged that it consistently fails to provide consumers with the full terms and conditions of … Continue reading →

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Small company successfully pleads materiality/damage against Microsoft

Posted on November 5, 2021 by rtushnet

TocMail Inc. v. Microsoft Corp., 2021 WL 5084182, No. 20-60416-CIV-CANNON/Hunt (S.D. Fla. Jul. 16, 2021) Previous ruling; new judge still finds the false advertising claims sufficiently pled. TocMail sued Microsoft for false advertising of its cloud-based cybersecurity software, Safe Links, … Continue reading →

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Classmates.com, the right of publicity, and copyright preemption

Posted on November 2, 2021 by rtushnet

Callahan v. PeopleConnect, Inc., 2021 WL 5050079, No. 20-cv-09203-EMC (N.D. Cal. Nov. 1, 2021) Plaintiffs in this putative class action alleged that PeopleConnect misappropriated their names, photographs, and likenesses and used the same in advertising its products and services, “including … Continue reading →

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facially plausible false advertising claim can be added to TM complaint

Posted on October 29, 2021 by rtushnet

In case you’re looking for a roadmap for leave to amend:  Ideavillage Products Corp. v. Copper Compression Brands LLC, 2021 WL 5013799, No. 20 Civ. 4604 (KPF) (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 27, 2021) Ideavillage sued CCB for trademark infringement and false designation … Continue reading →

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Lanham Act willfulness satisfies Bankruptcy Act willful/malicious standard

Posted on October 29, 2021 by rtushnet

In re Better Than Logs, Inc., 631 B.R. 670, No. 20-20160-BPH (D. Mont. Jun. 11, 2021) A rare bankruptcy/false advertising interaction. Creditor Everlog sued BTL for patent infringement and false advertising; BTL ultimately defaulted and Everlog was awared nearly $1 … Continue reading →

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Seen in NYC: the Twix bar that isn’t.

Posted on October 26, 2021 by rtushnet

 Yum. “A shortbread cookie topped with a layer of caramel, a layer of chocolate ganache, dipped in dark chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate.” from Blogger https://ift.tt/3jGn1Yt

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Timeshare case: proof of causation/damages is difficult especially w/o grasp of Bayesian probability

Posted on October 26, 2021 by rtushnet

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Inc. v. Sussman, 2021 WL 4948099, No. 6:18-cv-2171-GAP-DCI (M.D. Fla. Sept. 20, 2021) In this timeshare exit false advertising litigation, the court excludes Wyndham’s expert. Timeshare exit entities like defendant TET used “online advertising and oral sales … Continue reading →

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Court rejects “buy button” false advertising claim because consumer hasn’t yet lost access to “purchased” content

Posted on October 25, 2021 by rtushnet

Caudel v. Amazon.com, 2021 WL 4819602, No. 20-cv-00848-KJM-KJN (E.D. Cal. Oct. 15, 2021) Disagreeing with a case against Apple, the court here concludes that Amazon’s “buy” option that doesn’t give consumers ownership does not harm consumers who haven’t (yet) lost … Continue reading →

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Puzzlingly calling a venue name a “title,” court nonetheless rejects claim against MTV show

Posted on October 25, 2021 by rtushnet

MGFB Properties, Inc. v. ViacomCBS INC., 2021 WL 4843905, NO. 5:19cv257-RH-MJF (N.D. Fla. Sept. 22, 2021) The Flora-Bama lounge and entertainment complext is “regionally famous,” and MTV created a national TV series, MTV Floribama Shore. The district court granted summary … Continue reading →

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