Articles Posted in Conversion

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Indianapolis, Indiana – An intellectual property attorney for J & J Sports Productions, Inc. of Campbell, California filed three new lawsuits in the Southern District of Indiana, each alleging interception.

Defendants in the three lawsuits are alleged to have unlawfully intercepted and broadcasted a championship fight, Floyd Mayweather, Jr vs. Marcos Rene Maidana, WBC Welterweight Championship Fight Program, on May 3, 2014. J & J Sports states that it is the exclusive domestic commercial distributor of this program.

The first lawsuit was filed against Luxe Lounge, Inc. and John Hawkins, an officer of the company. Both Defendants were sued doing business as Luxe Lounge, which operates in Indianapolis. Hawkins was also sued individually.

The second lawsuit lists as Defendants Rest Mex, Inc. as well as Samuel Barrera and Benito Brito Flores, both officers of the company. All Defendants were sued doing business as Taqueria Jalisco of Indianapolis, Indiana. Barrera and Flores were also sued individually.

The final lawsuit was filed against Don Marcos, Inc. and Jose Diaz-Chavez, an officer of the Indianapolis corporation. Both Defendants were sued doing business as Don Marcos Restaurante and Taqueria. Diaz-Chavez was also sued individually.

The three complaints, filed by intellectual property counsel for J & J Sports, are similar, each listing three claims:

• Count I: Violation of Title 47 U.S.C. Section 605
• Count II: Violation of Title 47 U.S.C. Section 553

• Count III: Conversion

J & J Sports asks the Indiana court for damages, attorneys’ fees and costs.

Practice Tip: The interception claim has a two-year statute of limitations, which explains why these complaints were filed on April 29, 2016, almost exactly two years after the broadcast date of the program at issue. J & J Sports and similar plaintiffs are frequent litigants, filing thousands of lawsuits per year, usually seeking a settlement instead of litigation. It appears that many of them are also filed near the eve of the two-year anniversary of the broadcast of the program at issue in each individual lawsuit.

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Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana trademark attorneys for Countrymark Refining and Logistics, LLC of Indianapolis, Indiana filed a trademark lawsuit against Coop Fuels Inc. of Morrisville, North Carolina. The complaint asserts direct and contributory trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition arising under the Lanham Act as well as claims under Indiana law.

At issue are two trademarks owned by Countrymark, U.S. Registration Nos. 2,657,529 and 2,679,308 for the CO-OP trademark, which have been registered with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office.

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Defendant Coop Fuels is alleged to have infringed these trademarks by using “coop” to market its competing products.

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Additionally, Countrymark contends that Coop Fuels has also knowingly induced and materially contributed to its retail partners’ unauthorized adoption and use of Countrymark’s trademarks.

In this lawsuit, Indiana trademark lawyers for Countrymark list the following allegations of wrongdoing:

• Count I: Infringement of Federally Registered Marks – 15 U.S.C. § 1114
• Count II: False Designation of Origin and Unfair Competition – 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)
• Count III: Contributory Trademark Infringement
• Count IV: Common Law Unfair Competition
• Count V: Deception – Indiana Code § 35-43-5-3(a)(6)
• Count VI: Conversion – Indiana Code § 35-43-4-3

• Count VII: Indiana Crime Victim’s Relief Act- Indiana Code § 35-24-3-1

Countrymark asks the federal court for injunctive relief, actual and treble damages, attorneys’ fees and costs.

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Evansville, Indiana – An Indiana trademark attorney for Plaintiff Kimball International, Inc. (“Kimball”) of Jasper, Indiana filed an intellectual property lawsuit in the Southern District of Indiana.

Defendant COA, Inc. d/b/a Coaster Company of America (“Coaster”) of Santa Fe Springs, California is accused of infringing Kimball’s Trademark KIMBALL, Reg. No. 1,180,193, which has been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, by using the trademark without authorization.

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In addition to direct trademark infringement, Kimball asserts counts of contributory trademark infringement, false designation of origin, unfair competition arising under the Lanham Act as well as violations of the statutes and common law of the State of Indiana.

In particular, Kimball asserts that some of Coaster’s retail partners have infringed the KIMBALL trademark at Coaster’s behest, including retail giant Sears. As an example of this alleged contributory infringement, Kimball cites Bradley Home Furnishings’ website, which Kimball states features an unauthorized “Kimball Bedroom Collection” that originated from Defendant Coaster:

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Kimball indicates in the complaint that it first informed Defendant less than a month before this lawsuit was filed that it believed it held superior rights to the KIMBALL trademark but states that Coaster “continues its unlawful use of the KIMBALL Mark and continues to encourage, induce, and materially contribute to its retail partners’ unlawful use of the KIMBALL Mark.”

In this litigation, filed by an Indiana trademark lawyer for Kimball, the following counts are alleged:

• Count I: Infringement of Federally Registered Marks – 15 U.S.C. § 1114
• Count II: False Designation of Origin – 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)
• Count III: Contributory Trademark Infringement
• Count IV: Common Law Unfair Competition
• Count V: Deception – Indiana Code § 35-43-5-3(a)(6)
• Count VI: Conversion – Indiana Code § 35-43-4-3

• Count VII: Indiana Crime Victim’s Relief Act – Indiana Code § 35-24-3-1

Among other remedies, Kimball seeks equitable relief, actual and treble damages, costs and attorneys’ fees.

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Hammond, Indiana – An intellectual property attorney for Plaintiff DirecTV, LLC of California filed a signal-interception lawsuit in the Northern District of Indiana. It is alleged that Defendants Jorge Aguilera and Patricia Huerta of Delphi, Indiana and Rose Aguilera of Lafayette, Indiana acted unlawfully individually and on behalf of Defendant Pollo Feliz, Inc., which is located in Lafayette, Indiana.

Plaintiff DIRECTV offers encrypted satellite programming on a subscription basis. Customers who pay the appropriate fee are provided with special equipment to unscramble the broadcasts so that they may be viewed.

Fees charged to residential customers are lower than those charged to commercial establishments. DIRECTV states that customers “can surreptitiously gain access to DIRECTV programming without proper authorization by subscribing to DIRECTV services under a residential account and then installing/moving the equipment to their businesses and utilizing those services in a commercial environment.”

Defendant Pollo Feliz, Inc. operates a Mexican restaurant. The individual Defendants allegedly serve as officers, directors, shareholders and/or principals of Pollo Feliz. Defendants are accused of broadcasting DIRECTV content at a commercial establishment, Pollo Feliz, without the proper commercial license. Plaintiff contends that this conduct violates 18 U.S.C. §§2511 and 2512, 47 U.S.C. §605 and Indiana law.

In its complaint, filed with an Indiana federal court by an intellectual property lawyer for Plaintiff, the following counts are alleged:

• Count 1 – Damages for Violations of Cable Communications Policy Act [47 U.S.C. §605(e)(3(C)]
• Count 2 – Damages for Violations of 18 U.S.C. §2511
• Count 3 – Civil Conversion

DirecTV seeks equitable relief along with damages, including punitive damages, costs and attorney’s fees.

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Hammond, Indiana – Plaintiff Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. of Feasterville, Pennsylvania filed an intellectual property lawsuit in the Northern District of Indiana alleging unlawful interception of content protected under federal intellectual property laws. The Defendants are Whitney Chapman, individually and d/b/a Showtime Bar and Grill, and Showtime Bar & Grill LLC, also d/b/a Showtime Bar and Grill. Showtime Bar and Grill operates in Gary, Indiana.

Joe Hand is a commercial distributor of sporting events. It states that it was granted exclusive rights to distribute via closed-circuit telecast the “Ultimate Fighting Championship 168: Chris Weidman v. Anderson Silva” championship fight, which was telecast nationwide on Saturday, December 28, 2013.

In this federal lawsuit, filed by an intellectual property attorney for Plaintiff, Defendants are accused of such wrongful acts as interception, reception, publication, divulgence, display, exhibition, and tortiously converting the fight program.

In addition to naming Showtime Bar and Grill LLC, Joe Hand has also sued Chapman as an individual, asserting that she had the right and ability to supervise the activities of the establishment and that, included in those activities, was the unlawful interception of the program.

Plaintiff asserts that, in addition to conversion of the program, Defendants have violated 47 U.S.C. § 605 and 47 U.S.C. § 553. Joe Hand seeks damages, including additional damages for any violation deemed willful as well as costs and attorneys’ fees.

Overhauser Law Offices, the publisher of this website, has represented several hundred persons and businesses accused of infringing satellite signals.

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New Albany, Indiana – Plaintiff Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. of Feasterville, Pennsylvania filed an intellectual property lawsuit in the Southern District of Indiana. The Defendants are two individuals, Darlene Vicars and Leann Richardson, and an entity, The Wing Company, LLC. Each of the Defendants is alleged to do business as The Wing Company of Sunman, Indiana. Vicars and Richardson have been sued both individually and d/b/a The Wing Company.

At issue in this latest Indiana interception lawsuit commenced by an intellectual property lawyer for Joe Hand is the alleged unlawful interception of the “Ultimate Fighting Championship 168: Chris Weidman v. Anderson Silva,” which was telecast nationwide on Saturday, December 28, 2013.

Plaintiff Joe Hand claims that it holds exclusive domestic rights to the commercial distribution of this championship fight program and that Defendants have deprived it of the “commercial license fee to which Plaintiff was rightfully entitled to receive” by showing the program without having purchased a commercial license from Plaintiff.

In this federal lawsuit, the following claims are made:

• Count I: Violation of Title 47 U.S.C. Section 605
• Count II: Violation of Title 47 U.S.C. Section 553

• Count III: Conversion

Joe Hand seeks statutory damages, including additional damages for willful violations. Costs and attorney’s fees are also sought.

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Fort Wayne, Indiana – Plaintiff Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. of Feasterville, Pennsylvania filed an intellectual property lawsuit in the Northern District of Indiana asserting unlawful interception of Plaintiff’s program “Ultimate Fighting Championship 167: Georges St. Pierre v. Johny Hendricks” on November 16, 2013. This lawsuit is in addition to the litigation commenced by Plaintiff in the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday.

The complaint filed in the Northern District, filed by an intellectual property lawyer for Joe Hand, was nearly identical to Thursday’s complaint, with the primary difference being the Defendants named. In this lawsuit, the Defendants listed are Glen Robert Dotson, individually and d/b/a Fatzboyz Bar & Grill, and Dotson R. Inc., also d/b/a Fatzboyz Bar & Grill of Ligonier, Indiana. Defendants are accused of “depriving Plaintiff of the commercial license fee to which Plaintiff was rightfully entitled to receive from them” by showing the championship fight without having purchased a commercial license from Plaintiff.

Under Counts I and II, Joe Hand seeks statutory damages for all violations of 47 U.S.C. § 605 and 47 U.S.C. § 553, including additional damages for willful violations, where appropriate. Costs and attorney’s fees are also sought. A claim of conversion is included as Count III.

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Indianapolis, Indiana – A lawyer for Plaintiff Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. of Feasterville, Pennsylvania filed an intellectual property lawsuit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Angelina S. Alford, individually and d/b/a Tag’s Pub and Eatery LLC of Frankfort, Indiana, unlawfully intercepted Plaintiff’s program.

Joe Hand distributes digital content. It asserts that it holds exclusive domestic rights to the commercial distribution of “Ultimate Fighting Championship 167: Georges St. Pierre v. Johny Hendricks.” In an intellectual property complaint filed yesterday, Joe Hand accuses Alford and Tag’s Pub and Eatery LLC, of which Alford is allegedly an officer, of illegally intercepting the program on November 16, 2013.

In addition to interception, the allegations against Defendants include reception, publication, divulgence, display, exhibition, and “tortuous” [sic] conversion of the program. Joe Hand asserts that the acts were “willful, malicious, egregious, and intentionally designed to harm Plaintiff, Joe Hand Promotions, Inc., by depriving Plaintiff of the commercial license fee to which Plaintiff was rightfully entitled to receive from them.” Joe Hand contends that by doing so, “the Defendants subjected the Plaintiff to severe economic distress and great financial loss.” As a result of these alleged acts, Defendants have been have been accused in this lawsuit of violating 47 U.S.C. § 605 and 47 U.S.C. § 553 as well as conversion.

Joe Hand seeks statutory damages of $110,000 for each violation of 47 U.S.C. § 605; $10,000 for each violation of 47 U.S.C. § 553; $50,000 for each willful violation of 47 U.S.C. § 553; compensatory and punitive damages on the claim of conversion; costs; and attorney’s fees.

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Indianapolis, Indiana – Via its intellectual property counsel, Plaintiff J & J Sports Productions, Inc. of Campbell, California (“J & J Sports”) filed two separate intellectual

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 property complaints in the Southern District of Indiana alleging unlawful interception and broadcast of “The One” on Saturday, September 14, 2013.

The Defendants in the first lawsuit are Alejandro Soriano Perez, individually and d/b/a El Palenque Restaurant, and El Palenque, #1 LLC, of Noblesville, Indiana. In the second lawsuit, J & J Sports sued Edis Mejia, individually and d/b/a LaCasacada Authentic Mexican Restaurant and Mejia-Miranda, Inc. of Elwood, Indiana.

J & J Sports states that it is the exclusive domestic commercial closed-circuit distributor of the Program. It has sued the Defendants under the Communications Act of 1934 and The Cable & Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. Specifically, Defendants have been accused of violating 47 U.S.C. § 605 and 47 U.S.C. § 553 by displaying the Program at issue on September 14, 2013 without an appropriate license. A count of conversion is also included in both lawsuits.

Plaintiff has sued the non-LLC Defendants as individuals, alleging that they had the right and ability to supervise the activities of the commercial establishments that allegedly engaged in the illegal interception. J & J Sports asserts that the activities that they supervised included the unlawful interception of Plaintiff’s “The One” Program.

J & J Sports also contends that the individual Defendants specifically directed the employees of the restaurants to unlawfully intercept and broadcast Plaintiff’s Program at the commercial establishments or, if they did not, that the actions of the employees of the restaurants are directly imputable to the Defendants sued as individuals by virtue of their purported responsibility for the activities of their respective establishments.

In these two Indiana interception complaints, the intellectual property attorney for J & J Sports listed the following counts:

• Count I: Violation of Title 47 U.S.C. § 605
• Count II: Violation of Title 47 U.S.C. § 553

• Count III: Conversion

J & J Sports asks for damages, as well as costs and attorneys’ fees.

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Fort Wayne, Indiana – Via its intellectual property counsel, Plaintiff J & J Sports Productions, Inc. of Campbell, California (“J & J Sports”) filed three separate intellectual property complaints in the Northern District of Indiana alleging unlawful interception and broadcast of “The One” on Saturday, September 14, 2013.

The Defendants in the first lawsuit are Leonor Navarro and Sergio Navarro, individually and d/b/a La Santa Anita Family Grill, and Navarro Family Restaurant LLC, also d/b/a La Santa Anita Family Grill, all of Fort Wayne, Indiana. In the second lawsuit, J & J Sports sued Marco Puente, individually and d/b/a Estrella’s Sports Bar and Rumurs LLC, also d/b/a Estrella’s Sports Bar, both of Hammond, Indiana. Defendant Virginia Ramirez of Fort Wayne, Indiana was sued individually and d/b/a La Puerta Negra in the third complaint.

J & J Sports states that it is the exclusive domestic commercial closed-circuit distributor of the Program. It has sued the Defendants, both individually and doing business as commercial entities, under the Communications Act of 1934 and The Cable & Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. Specifically, Defendants have been accused of violating 47 U.S.C. § 605 and 47 U.S.C. § 553 by displaying the Program at issue on September 14, 2013 without an appropriate license. A count of conversion is also included in each lawsuit.

Plaintiff has sued the non-LLC Defendants as individuals, alleging that they had the right and ability to supervise the activities of the commercial establishments that allegedly engaged in the illegal interception. J & J Sports asserts that the activities that they supervised included the unlawful interception of Plaintiff’s Program.

J & J Sports contends that the individual Defendants specifically directed the employees of the restaurants to unlawfully intercept and broadcast Plaintiff’s Program at the commercial establishments or, if they did not, that the actions of the employees of the restaurants are directly imputable to the Defendants sued as individuals by virtue of their purported responsibility for the activities of their respective establishments.

In all of these Indiana interception complaints, the intellectual property attorney for J & J Sports listed the following counts:

• Count I: Violation of Title 47 U.S.C. § 605
• Count II: Violation of Title 47 U.S.C. § 553

• Count III: Conversion

J & J Sports asks for damages, as well as costs and attorneys’ fees.

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Contact Information
Indiana Intellectual Property: IP Litigation, Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights
  • Seventh Circuit
  • Northern District of Indiana
  • Southern District of Indiana
Paul B. Overhauser
Overhauser Law Offices, LLC
Greenfield
18 E Main St #202
Greenfield, IN 46140
Phone: 317.467.9100
Fax: 866.283.8549
Indianapolis
101 W Ohio St #2000
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317.891.1500
Fax: 866.283.8549

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