Pic-6-300x157Zurcher Tire, Inc., a leading nationwide tire distributor based in Monroe, Indiana, has filed a lawsuit against Michael Boland, a former employee now living in Sturgis, Michigan. Boland worked for Zurcher as a sales representative from 2019 until his termination in 2024. During his time with the company, Boland had access to confidential business information, including customer lists, pricing, and other trade secrets that Zurcher goes to great lengths to protect.

Court documents show that after being informed in August 2024 that his employment would end due to policy violations, Boland remained on the payroll through October 18, 2024, but he deleted 146 emails containing sensitive company information. Shortly after, Boland began discussions with North Gateway Tire, a competitor, about a potential job. Zurcher alleges that Boland sent North Gateway detailed customer and pricing information while still employed by Zurcher, offering to use his connections to benefit the competitor.

Boland officially started working for North Gateway in November 2024, just days after allegedly sharing Zurcher’s proprietary information. Zurcher claims that Boland’s actions, combined with North Gateway’s use of the data, have unfairly hurt its business.

Pic-5-300x192Uriah Products, LLC has filed a lawsuit against CURT Manufacturing LLC for patent infringement. Uriah, a Missouri-based company that has been making and selling trailer parts since 2004, claims CURT is violating its rights under U.S. Patent No. 10,857,846. This patent, issued in December 2020, protects an adjustable hitch assembly used in towing equipment, such as Uriah’s popular Aluma-Tow Hitch Ball Mount.

According to Uriah, CURT is selling similar products under its Alumalite Adjustable Aluminum HiPic2-287x300tch line, which include models with varying drop sizes. Uriah argues these products infringe on key features of the ‘846 patent. It also states that CURT’s products are almost identical to its own, apart from size differences and the distances between the top of the hitch and ball mount of the hitch.

In the lawsuit, Uriah is asking the court to declare that CURT has infringed on the patent, to stop CURT from selling the infringing products, and to award damages for the harm caused. Uriah also wants the court to order CURT to pay its legal fees and any additional relief the court finds appropriate.

GreenLeafMark-300x245Indiana-based companies, Banjo Corporation and Green Leaf, Inc., are again in litigation over their crossing business of manufacturing and selling valves and pipe fittings. The original complaint brought forth by Banjo, still pending, was for trademark infringement with Green Leaf’s use of the color yellow on their liquid handling valves. Now Green Leaf is suing Banjo for the use of domain names and trademarks. According to the complaint, Green Leaf has consistently used its registered United States federal trademarks, Green Leaf® and TerreMax®, to identify its products in commerce. Green Leaf’s various word marks and a design mark are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office under Nos. 2,642,074, 6,901,382 and 2,642,068.

Green Leaf claims that committed trademark infringement and cyberpiracy by registering several domain names identical or confusingly similar to Green Leaf’s trademarks, including but not limited to the domain names greenleafvalve.com and terremaxvalve.com. It is alleged that these domain names were registered in 2019 by Banjo for the purpose of redirecting consumers to Banjo’s website. Green Leaf insists that Banjo acted in bad faith, attempting to ride on the coattails of good will established by Green Leaf® and TerreMax®.Pic-4-300x271

The complaint also alleges that Banjo renewed these domain names in 2024, continuing to possess the domain names and continuing to divert consumers through them until November of that year. Once the diversion ceased, Green Leaf moved to amend an existing lawsuit with a cyberpiracy counterclaim. The motion was denied, but the court indicated it could bring the claim in a separate action, which it has now done.

Plaintiff Jumpstart Communications LLC has filed a complaint against Defendants Ryan V. Jumper and Jumpstart Communication LLC, for alleged misconduct and violations of federal law. According to the complaint, Defendant Jumper, a founding member and former CEO of Jumpstart Communications, established a competing company with a similar name and logo, allegedly to harm the business he co-founded. The complaint describes a series of actions by Defendant Jumper, including unauthorized access to business accounts, misappropriation of funds, and attempts to divert customers, employees, and resources to the competing entity.

Pic-3-300x163Jumpstart Communications is a telecommunications construction company that is headquartered in Indiana and was founded in 2020. It reportedly rapidly expanded its operations to several states and booked over $10 million in revenue in 2023. However, the complaint describes how Defendant Jumper’s behavior became erratic, beginning in April 2024, with accusations of theft, unauthorized password changes, and siphoning of funds from company accounts. Defendant Jumper is also accused of taking deliberate steps to interfere with the company’s operations, such as locking out other members from critical business systems and submitting fabricated documents.

The complaint further alleges that Defendant Jumper formed a competing entity, Jumpstart Communication LLC, which operates in the same territories using a similar brand as Jumpstart Communications and then misled customers and business partners by taking payments and resources and even went so far as to commit fraudulent acts such as filing false address changes with the U.S. Postal Service and IRS.

FitzMark, LLC, a logistics brokerage firm in Indianapolis, Indiana, has filed a lawsuit against former employee Micah Adkins and Koola Logistics, LLC, alleging breaches of confidentiality, misappropriation of trade secrets, and interference with business relationships. Adkins, hired in 2017, signed an agreement in 2019 to protect FitzMark’s confidential information and refrain from using it in competition. After his termination in 2020, Adkins joined competitor Koola in 2024.

Pic-2-300x54FitzMark claims Adkins used proprietary information, including customer data and pricing strategies, to solicit FitzMark clients, citing a voicemail he left for a customer in January 2025 referencing such information. The company seeks injunctive relief to stop the misuse, along with damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs.

The case has been filed in the Marion County Superior Court with Case No. 49D01-2501-002642.

Pic-1-300x171Carmel, Indiana – EE Holding Group LLC has filed a lawsuit against PDGROWTH LLC and Patrick D. Garton. The claims include trademark counterfeiting, infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition under both federal and common law.

Led by designer Eric Emanuel, the plaintiff asserts ownership of trademarks such as ERIC EMANUEL and the EE logo:      . These trademarks have been in use since 2014 and are associated with high-quality sportswear, particularly the signature EE mesh shorts.

Defendant Garton, who operates under the Instagram handle “pd.resells,” is accused of selling counterfeit goods that bear the plaintiff’s trademarks. These goods, sourced from China, are marketed as indistinguishable replicas. Garton sells these products through social media, the website https://thesupplyr.com/, and other platforms, allegedly profiting significantly from these sales. The plaintiff claims Garton not only sells counterfeit items but also teaches others how to profit from similar activities.

The U.S. Trademark Office issued the following  367 trademark registrations to persons and businesses in Indiana in December 2024 based on applications filed by Indiana trademark attorneys:

Registration   Number               Wordmark
7611678 IT’S A HAPPY HOUR FEELING
7605216 ANDERSON PREPARATORY ACADEMY
7616177 DARK LORD
7614933
7623759 SOUTHERN INDIANA GUARDIANS FC
7623741 SIGFC

Continue reading

Delta Faucet Company, a prominent manufacturer of kitchen and bathroom fixtures, alleges that Justin and Andrew Bundrick engaged in unauthorized sales of Delta-branded products via Amazon storefronts “SummitMerch” (previously “BunjiSolutions”) and “A.B.Sales”. The company claims these products failed to meet their quality standards and did not include the official warranty, thereby violating trademark laws under the Lanham Act and constituting unfair competition.

Delta contends that the defendants’ sales of defective or subpar goods resulted in negative reviews, consumer confusion, and damage to Delta’s reputation. Despite receiving cease-and-desist letters, the defendants reportedly continued to sell non-genuine products. Test purchases indicated improper packaging and the absence of Delta’s warranty.Pic

Delta argues that these unauthorized sales amount to trademark infringement and unfair competition, as the products differ significantly from authentic Delta items. The company is seeking injunctive relief, asserting that these sales harm its brand value and erode consumer trust.

Pic-2-271x300Magpul Sues Elite Tactical Systems over Alleged Patent Infringement Over Polymer Ammo Magazines

Magpul Industries Corporation has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against fellow firearm accessories manufacturer Elite Tactical Systems Group, LLC. The plaintiff alleges that the defendant has infringed upon U.S. Patents Nos. 8,991,086 and 9,746,264. Magpul claims that the defendant made, used, sold, imported, and offered polymer ammunition magazines that infringe on these patents for sale. Specifically, the defendant’s products, including the ETS 30rd 5.56x45mm NATO/.223 Remington polymer magazines, are said to incorporate the patented magazine architecture described in the ’086 and ’264 patents.

Magpul argues that the defendant’s actions are unlawful and are causing harm to its exclusive patent rights. The lawsuit seeks damages, including potential treble damages, a permanent injunction to prevent further infringement, the destruction of infringing products, attorney’s fees, and other legal remedies.

Author, Dr. Keith F. Bell (“Plaintiff”), has filed another copyright infringement suit in Indiana (see past suit), this time against Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (“Bartholomew”) and Timothy Bless (“Bless”), again claiming infringement of his intellectual property. Dr. Bell wrote the book Winning Isn’t Normal in 1981, and the key passage titled “Winning Isn’t Normal” (WIN) is central to the book. Dr. Bell holds the copyrights for both the book and WIN, registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. He has invested significant effort in promoting his work, which is sold through his websites and various products like posters and t-shirts.

BookPicDr. Bell alleges that Bless, as an employee of Bartholomew and a coach at Columbus North High School, used his copyrighted material without permission by posting a representation of the WIN chapter on social media in March 2022. Dr. Bell claims this act violated his exclusive rights, including reproduction, distribution, and public display of his intellectual property. He asserts that Bartholomew was aware of the infringement and failed to prevent it, benefiting from the activities linked to Bless’s posts. Additionally, Dr. Bell accuses the defendants of removing copyright management information from his work, violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Dr. Bell further states that Bartholomew and Bless had previously entered into a settlement agreement in 2020, where they agreed to cease using WIN without proper authorization. He claims that the defendants’ actions in 2022 breached that agreement. As a result, Dr. Bell seeks injunctive relief, attorney’s fees, and damages up to $150,000 per infringed work.

Contact Information