Coach Sues Novelty for Trademark, Copyright, and Trade Dress Infringement and Counterfeiting

 

Indianapolis, Indiana – Intellectual property counsel for Coach, Inc. and Coach Services, Inc., both of New York, NY, have filed an infringement suit alleging Novelty, Inc. of Greenfield, IN, has infringed numerous COACH trademarks which have been registered with the U.S. Trademark Office, copyrighted design elements, and product trade dress.

The plaintiff, which is a well-known retailer of leather goods including handbags, luggage, and accessories, asserts that the defendant, a distributor of novelty-type goods, is offering products bearing source-identifying indicia and design elements which are “studied imitations” of the plaintiffs’ intellectual property. In particular, the complaint claims trade dress rights in the distinctive product shapes, colors, designs, fabrics, and other non-function elements which are incorporated into their products.

This case has been assigned to Chief Judge Richard L. Young and Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker in the Southern District of Indiana, and assigned case no. 1:10-cv-00615-RLY-TAB.

Practice Tip: To maintain trademark rights, the law imposes a duty on a trademark owner to “police” its mark and monitor the market for counterfeit or otherwise infringing uses of the mark.Complaint – Coach v. Novelty

Further information about this case is as follows:

Filed: May 18, 2010 as 1:2010cv00615 Updated: May 21, 2010 23:17:02

Plaintiffs: COACH SERVICES, INC. and COACH, INC.

Defendant: NOVELTY, INC.

Judge: Richard L. Young

Cause Of Action: Trademark Infringement

Court: Seventh Circuit > Indiana > Southern District Court

Type: Intellectual Property > Trademark

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