Audemars Piguet Holding S.A. v. Swiss Watch International, Inc.

46 F. Supp. 3d 255, 2014 WL 47465, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1030
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 6, 2014
DocketNo. 12 Civ. 5423(HB)
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 46 F. Supp. 3d 255 (Audemars Piguet Holding S.A. v. Swiss Watch International, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Audemars Piguet Holding S.A. v. Swiss Watch International, Inc., 46 F. Supp. 3d 255, 2014 WL 47465, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1030 (S.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

HAROLD BAER, JR., District Judge:

Plaintiffs Audemars Piguet Holding S.A. (“APSA”) and Audemars Piguet (North America) Inc. (“APNA”) (collectively “Plaintiffs”) bring this action against Defendants Swiss Watch International Inc. (“SWI”), ILS Holdings, and Lior Ben-Shmuel (collectively “Defendants”) alleging trade dress infringement under Sections 32(1) and 43(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1114(1) & 1125(a), New York common law, and N.Y. Gen, Bus. Law § 360-L Defendants bring counterclaims for cancellation of Plaintiffs’ federal trademark registrations Nos. 2,866,069 and 3,480,826. The Court conducted a four-day bench trial beginning on June 17, 2013 and concluding on June 26, 2013. Below are the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law as required under Fed. R.Civ.P. 52(a)(1).

FINDINGS OF FACT

A. The Parties

Plaintiff APSA, a holding company organized under the laws of Switzerland, owns all trademarks and trade dress rights concerning all Audemars Piguet brand watches. Ex. P101-P104. Plaintiff APNA, a Delaware Corporation, is a licensee of those rights and the exclusive U.S. distributor of all Audemars Piguet brand watches. Id.

Defendant SWI is a Delaware corporation that has acquired all assets of Defendant ILS Holdings through a merger after they were both acquired by Clearlake Cap[270]*270ital Group L.P. Tr. 196:12-197:24. SWI operates the website WorldofWatches.com. Tr. 199:3-5. Defendant Lior Ben-Shmuel was a Co-Chief Executive of SWI until recently, when his title became Senior Ad-visor and Board Member. Tr. 196:5-7; 197:1-12.

B. Plaintiffs’ Royal Oak Watch

1. The Royal Oak Design and Trademark Rights

In 1972, Plaintiffs introduced the “Royal Oak” line of luxury watches, bearing a design of an octagonal shaped bezel with eight hexagonal screw-heads. Nolot Deck ¶ 9. A variation of the line bearing the same design elements had been introduced in 1993 as the “Royal Oak Offshore.” Tr. 45:16-18.

APSA owns four trademark registrations for various aspects of the Royal Oak Design. U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,866,069, registered on July 27, 2004, is for the design of an octagonal bezel with eight screws for watches and other watch-related items. Ex. P-102. U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,480,826, registered on August 5, 2008, is for an octagonal bezel with eight screws for watches and other jewelry items. Ex. P-101. U.S. Trademark Registration Nos. 4,232,239 and 4,232,240, both issued on October 30, 2012, are for the full design of the Royal Oak watch, respectively with and without a metallic bracelet Exs. P-103, P-104.

2. Functionality of the Royal Oak Design

Plaintiffs argue that the Royal Oak design does not give Royal Oak watches any competitive advantage over any alternative designs. Nolot Decl. ¶ 39. Royal Oak watches are neither more effective than watches of other designs nor do they have an advantage in terms of utility or manufacturing costs. Id., Indeed, both Defendants and Plaintiffs produce and market watches of other designs. See Ex. P-30, attaching Defendants’ catalogue of watches from the 2011 BaselWorld fair. Defendants sell many different watch collections and the allegedly infringing watches make up only 1.5% of Defendants sales. Tr. 270: 13-18. Defendants’ own sales substantiate the argument that effective and competitive watches can be made without utilizing the design at issue.

Defendants argue that the octagonal shape is one of the few shapes available for a watch face, and thus is functional. See Christian Louboutin S.A. v. Yves Saint Laurent Am. Holdings, Inc., 696 F.3d 206, 218-19 (2d Cir.2012) (“A product feature is considered to be ‘functional’ in a utilitarian sense if it is (1) essential to the use or purpose of the article, or if it (2) affects the cost or quality of the article. A feature is essential if [it] is dictated by the functions to be performed by the article,” and observing that features deemed “functional” may not be protected as trademarks.) However, it is not the octagonal shape alone that Plaintiffs seek to protect, it is the trademarked design in its entirety, including the octagonal bezel with eight hexagonal flat screws placed around the bezel. Indeed, Defendants have manufactured another watch with an octagonal face, see Tr. 85:11-25; 86: 7-10, that Plaintiffs do not allege infringes their trademark rights. Based on the evidence presented, I find that Plaintiffs’ Royal Oak design is not functional.

3.Sales

The Plaintiffs’ least expensive Royal Oak watches start at around $15,000 per watch and escalate to over $1 million. Ex. P-212. From 2010 through the first 11 months of 2012, total sales of Royal Oak watches were in excess of 9,350 units, with revenue in excess of $167 million. Ex. P-[271]*271213. Royal Oak watches constitute approximately 75%-80% of Audemars Piguet’s U.S. sales. Nolot Decl. ¶ 17; Tr: 42:11-44:23. Audemars Piguet is frequently among the top three watch brands in revenue sold by authorized retailers, behind brands such as Cartier and Rolex. Nolot Decl. ¶ 17.

4. Advertising and Promotional Efforts

In the United States, Plaintiffs have advertised Royal Oak watches in widely read newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Vanity Fair, and in industry magazines, such as WatchTime and W. Nolot Decl. ¶ 22. Ex. P-215; Rule 1006 Summary of P-217 to P-227. Plaintiffs also advertise their brand through sponsorship of charity and recreational events, including the Tony Awards, and yachting and golf tournaments. Nolot Decl. ¶ 28; P-210, P-211, P-228. Plaintiffs have undertaken a number of other advertising and sponsorship endeavors to target high-end consumers. Nolot Decl. ¶¶ 29, 30; see Exs. P-230 through P-235. Between 2010 and 2012, Plaintiffs spent $881,787 promoting Royal Oak watches in American magazines and newspapers. See Ex. P-215.

5. Recognition of the Royal Oak design in the Press and Among Consumers

a. Press Commentary

The Royal Oak watch has been featured in both general media and specialty watch press. See Rule 1006 Summary of P-239 to P-250. One example is a December 2011 New York Times article, placing the Royal Oak on “[t]he list of truly classic watches,” one of a very few “timeless icons of the watchmaker’s art,” and comparing it to other well-known watch brands such as Rolex and Cartier. Ex. P-253. Plaintiffs’ submissions also include comments from specialty magazines including Wallpaper, WatchTime and Barrons, each of which observe that the Royal Oak is a “classic” or an “icon.” See Rule 1006 Summary of P-239 to P-250 and attachments.

b. Similarity of Third Party Watch Designs to the Royal Oak Design

Defendants have presented evidence of other watch designs that utilize an octagonal shape, some of which also include screws. Tr. 62:10-12; 81:8-9; Ben-Shmuel Decl. ¶ 38; see also Exs. D-104, D-129, D-132, D-130, D-130A, D-131, D-132, D-133.

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46 F. Supp. 3d 255, 2014 WL 47465, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1030, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/audemars-piguet-holding-sa-v-swiss-watch-international-inc-nysd-2014.