Trademarks are your company's signature, and like a personal signature, they depend upon the trust and good faith people place in them. Your trademark is only as valuable as the worth and trust your customers place in your company and the products sold under the mark. Hence, trademark infringement can be very harmful and detrimental to your company and products. Users of a misappropriated mark can often damage and destroy the reputation of your mark. For this reason, perhaps no intellectual property infringement is as damaging as trademark infringement; not only does the infringer steal profits to which you are rightfully entitled, he or she can also decrease the value of the trademark and your ability to make profits using it. Trademark infringement suits can be very complex and lengthy; however, there are several remedies available to the infringed upon party, including:
Trademark infringement is a violation of a trademark holder's rights and requires maximum efforts to protect your brand. We have a team of experienced and creative trademark and technology litigators across our offices. These attorneys have litigated in many domestic trademark litigation venues, the Federal Circuit, the International Trade Commission, the Patent and Trademark Office, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and ICANN. Our Dallas trademark infringement lawyers represent clients in trademark filings and trademark infringement throughout the United States, including the U.S. District Court's for the Eastern District of Texas, the Northern District of Texas, and the Western District of Texas.
Consumers often use trademarks to identify the source of the goods or services they are purchasing. As such, trademark owners need to protect their trademark brand and prevent others from using trademarks that are "confusingly similar." Although it varies by jurisdiction, Courts generally consider seven factors in a trademark infringement analysis to determine whether there is a "likelihood of confusion" between two competing brands.
“Would an average consumer paying an average amount of attention be more likely than not to purchase one product (or service) if they believed it is in fact a different product (or service)?” The more similar the trademark brand names, and the more similar the goods and services are related thereto, the stronger the factor weighs in favor of infringement. Unrelated goods or services, or goods or services that are not commonly found together, are less likely to be found overlapping and therefore less likely to infringe. Dissimilar goods or services, albeit similar in branding, may be less likely to be found to infringe upon each other.
Are the brand or trademarks similar? Are they visually and phonetically identical? What are the meaning of the words within each trademark, and any translations there?” The Courts have found the following trademarks too similar:
• ECHO 911 (software for emergencies) with ECHO112 (smartphone application);
• Simoniz (cleaning) vs. Permanize (cleaning); and
• Floss Bone (dog chews) and Flossies (dog treats)
Like similarity of marks, the trademark appearance and trademark design may also be too similar and, therefore, reasonably cause trademark confusion to the average consumer.
How does each trademark sound when spoken aloud? The more similar the sound, the more likelihood of confusion may exist. The Courts have found the following trademarks too phonetically similar:
• Seiko v. Seycos;
• Coca-Cola and Cup-O’-Cola;
• Porsche and Porsha.
Trademark similarity weights in favor of finding trademark infringement, and the courts have found the following trademarks too similar:
• MR. CLEAN vs. MR. RUST;
• Pledge v. Promise; and
• Aqua-Care v. WaterCare.
Visual similarities between trademarks can cause a likelihood of confusion. Simply, are the trademark designs too similar?
Is the public likely to be so confused by the trademark similarities such that they will confuse the source of the two brands?
Recognized in the legal industry as dedicated board-certified lawyers and Rising Stars.
Your project will be handled by legal experts every time. You will have the most experienced attorneys working for you.
Let's talk about your legal issue
Wilson Legal Group P.C.
d/b/a Wilson Whitaker Rynell
(972) 248-8080 (Dallas) MAIN OFFICE
(713) 830-2207 (Houston) Appointment Only
(512) 691-4100 (Austin) Appointment Only
For more information on how we can assist in your intellectual property, commercial litigation, divorce, or other personal needs, let us know how we can help you:
WILSON WHITAKER RYNELL
Thank You for Contacting Us!
Your information has been sent, and we will contact you shorlty...issues.
WILSON WHITAKER RYNELL
Oops, there was an error sending your message.
Please try again later.
Disclaimer:
This form does not establish an attorney-client relationship, and should only be used to contact the firm about scheduling a call or meeting. No confidential or sensitive information should be sent using this form.
We represent clients nationwide, including Dallas, Austin, Houston, and other Texas areas such as Fort Worth, Arlington, Carrollton, Plano, Allen, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Irving, Denton, McKinney, North Richland Hills, and all cities within Dallas County, Tarrant County, Collin County, and Denton County.
Wilson Whitaker Rynell
16610 Dallas Parkway, Suite 1000
Dallas, Texas 75248
972-248-8080 (MAIN)
972-248-8088 (FAX)
info@wrrlegal.com (E-MAIL)