Action Ink, Inc. v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

959 F. Supp. 2d 934, 2013 WL 3776548, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 99800
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Louisiana
DecidedJuly 17, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. 12-141
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 959 F. Supp. 2d 934 (Action Ink, Inc. v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Action Ink, Inc. v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc., 959 F. Supp. 2d 934, 2013 WL 3776548, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 99800 (E.D. La. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER AND REASONS

SARAH S. VANCE, District Judge.

Before the Court is defendant Anheuser-Busch’s motion for summary judgment on its counterclaim and plaintiffs claims. For the following reasons, the Court GRANTS defendant’s motion for summary judgment on all of plaintiffs claims and on defendant’s counterclaim. The Court DENIES defendant’s request for attorneys’ fees.

I. BACKGROUND

This trademark infringement and unfair competition case arises out of a dispute between plaintiff Action Ink, Inc., a sports [939]*939marketing firm, and defendant AnheuserBusch, Inc. In 1984, plaintiff filed an application to register the mark “THE ULTIMATE FAN” (“the Mark”) and submitted with its application a flyer explaining the concept of holding competitions among sports fans.1 After requiring several changes to plaintiffs application, on July 9, 1985, the United States Patent and Trade Office (PTO) issued a registration for the Mark for the stated purpose of “promoting the goods and/or services of others by conducting a contest at sporting events.”2

Plaintiffs president, Michael Eckstein, stated in an affidavit that plaintiff worked with several NBA teams between 1983 and 1987 to hold THE ULTIMATE FAN contests and promotions.3 Plaintiff attempted to conduct more promotions with NBA teams, meeting with product sponsors and commissioning a model mock poster, but these efforts were unsuccessful.4 During this period, the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League also held a THE ULTIMATE FAN competition, and plaintiff tried to work with the team on additional promotions.5 The first contact between plaintiff and defendant occurred in 1988, when Eckstein wrote to defendant requesting that it stop using the phrase “THE ULTIMATE CUBS FAN BUD MAN SEARCH” on infringement grounds.6 Counsel for the Chicago Cubs disputed the claim, arguing that the phrases were different and that the reference to “ultimate” was merely descriptive.7

In June 1991, Eckstein submitted an affidavit to the PTO, in which he stated that the Mark had been in continuous use in interstate commerce for five consecutive years from the date of registration.8 At the expiration of the trademark in 2005, plaintiff applied for renewal of the Mark, which was granted.9

In 1995, plaintiff learned that Major League Baseball (MLB) was considering holding an “Ultimate Fan” contest. After plaintiff sent a cease and desist letter, the MLB agreed to add language to its signs indicating that the phrase “Ultimate Fan” was being used with plaintiffs permission.10 Over the past twenty years, plaintiff has contacted numerous other entities about possible infringement of the Mark, sending over 60 cease and desist letters between 2006 and 2012.11 Some organizations agreed to stop using the phrase,12 and two companies, GEICO Insurance and Louisiana Lottery, settled with plaintiff in response to cease and desist letters.13 In addition, after plaintiff notified Tulane University of its alleged infringement in 2004 and 2009, Tulane contributed tickets to a charity as payment and discontinued its promotion.14 On April 26, 2013, Tulane signed a licensing agreement with plaintiff, under which Tulane was allowed to use the Mark between January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014 in exchange for the donation to charity of 300 tickets to Tulane athletic events.15 No other entities have entered [940]*940into licensing agreements with plaintiff for use of the Mark.16

In 2009, plaintiff contacted three NFL teams about promotional contests that it felt infringed its trademark.17 Upon hearing that defendant was responsible for two of the promotions, plaintiff sent a cease and desist letter to defendant in September 2009 related to its promotion entitled “Bud Light©/ Washington Redskins Ultimate Fan Sweepstakes.”18 Defendant responded and requested more information, but no further action resulted.19 In 2011, plaintiff became aware of defendant’s use of the phrase “Ultimate Fan Experience” during a Bud Light promotion advertised in supermarkets and in commercials aired during NFL games.20 In November 2011, plaintiff sent a cease and desist letter to defendant, to which defendant responded that it would not cease its activities since it was not infringing plaintiffs mark.21

On January 19, 2012, plaintiff sued defendant for trademark infringement and false designation of origin under the Lanham Act and violation of state law. Defendant filed a counterclaim, seeking cancellation of plaintiffs federal registration of the Mark.22 Defendant then filed a motion for summary judgment on its counterclaim and all of plaintiffs claims, which is now before the Court.23

Plaintiff also filed a separate suit on January 6, 2012, against the New York Jets and Arkadium, Inc. for trademark infringement based on the defendants’ registration of the “Ultimate Fan” mark in connection with a computer game software program (“the Jets case”).24 On May 30, 2013, Judge Milazzo issued an Order granting summary judgment for the defendants in Action Ink, Inc. v. New York Jets, LLC et ai.25 (“the Jets Order”). Judge Milazzo held that Action Ink had abandoned the Mark. She thus dismissed plaintiffs claims against the New York Jets and Arkadium, Inc. for federal trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and common law trademark infringement and unfair competition, since each of the claims required plaintiff to possess a valid trademark.26

After the Jets Order was issued, the parties to this case submitted briefing to the Court discussing its effect on Anheuser-Busch’s pending motion for summary judgment. The Court has reviewed these submissions, along with the other documents in the summary judgment record, and rules as follows.

II. STANDARD

Summary judgment is warranted when “the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c)(2); see also Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Little v. Liquid Air Corp., 37 F.3d 1069, 1075 (5th Cir.1994). When assessing whether a dispute as to any material fact exists, the Court considers “all of the evidence in the record but refrains from making credibility determinations or weighing [941]*941the evidence.” Delta & Pine Land Co. v. Nationwide Agribusiness Ins. Co., 530 F.3d 395, 398 (5th Cir.2008).

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959 F. Supp. 2d 934, 2013 WL 3776548, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 99800, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/action-ink-inc-v-anheuser-busch-inc-laed-2013.