Camco Mfg., Inc. v. Jones Stephens Corp.

391 F. Supp. 3d 515
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. North Carolina
DecidedMay 20, 2019
Docket1:18-cv-0645
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 391 F. Supp. 3d 515 (Camco Mfg., Inc. v. Jones Stephens Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Camco Mfg., Inc. v. Jones Stephens Corp., 391 F. Supp. 3d 515 (M.D.N.C. 2019).

Opinion

THOMAS D. SCHROEDER, Chief District Judge.

*520Plaintiff Camco Manufacturing, Inc. ("Camco") claims that Defendants Jones Stephens Corp. ("JSC") and Trek Power Inc. ("Trek Power") copied its yellow and black trade dress for electrical adapters and extension cords. (Doc. 16 ¶ 1.) Camco alleges trade dress infringement under § 43(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), common law trade dress infringement, passing off, common law unfair competition, and unfair competition under North Carolina's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act ("UDTPA"), N.C. Gen. Stat. § 75-1.1. (Doc. 16.) Before the court are motions to dismiss by Trek Power and JSC pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). (Docs. 19 & 27.) The motions have been fully briefed and are ready for decision. For the reasons set forth below, the motions will be granted in part and denied in part.

I. BACKGROUND

The fundamental allegations of the amended complaint, taken in the light most favorable to Camco, show the following:

Camco manufactures equipment for recreational vehicles ("RVs"), including electrical adapters (sometimes called "dogbones") and electrical extension cords used to connect to power sources. (Doc. 16 ¶ 8.) Its cords are black with yellow ends, heads, or receptacles, which it asserts is an ornamental trade dress. (Id. ¶ 10.) Camco sells its products through stores, catalogs, and the internet, and has sold its products with its trade dress since approximately March 2005. (Id. ¶¶ 9, 12.) Defendants sell similar products that Camco alleges will likely cause confusion among consumers, because the products are of the same type, sold through the same channels of trade, and have "identical or nearly identical colors and color combinations of a black cord with yellow ends, heads, or receptacle." (Id. ¶¶ 24, 26.)

II. ANALYSIS

A. Standard of Review

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) provides that a complaint must contain "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), "a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter ... to 'state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.' " Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) ). A claim is plausible "when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Id. In considering a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, a court "must accept as true all of the factual allegations contained in the complaint," Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94, 127 S.Ct. 2197, 167 L.Ed.2d 1081 (2007) (per *521curiam), and all reasonable inferences must be drawn in the plaintiff's favor, Ibarra v. United States, 120 F.3d 472, 474 (4th Cir. 1997). " Rule 12(b)(6) protects against meritless litigation by requiring sufficient factual allegations 'to raise a right to relief above the speculative level' so as to 'nudge[ ] the[ ] claims across the line from conceivable to plausible.' " Sauers v. Winston-Salem/Forsyth Cty. Bd. of Educ., 179 F. Supp. 3d 544, 550 (M.D.N.C. 2016) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955 ). Mere legal conclusions are not accepted as true, and "[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice." Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937.

B. Trade Dress Infringement Under the Federal Lanham Act

The first claim for relief alleges trade dress infringement under the Lanham Act. (Doc. 16 at 14.) "The trade dress of a product consists of its 'total image and overall appearance,' including its 'size, shape, color or color combinations, texture, graphics, or even particular sales techniques.' " Ashley Furniture Indus., Inc. v. SanGiacomo N.A. Ltd., 187 F.3d 363, 368 (4th Cir. 1999) (quoting Two Pesos, Inc. v. Taco Cabana, Inc., 505 U.S. 763

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391 F. Supp. 3d 515, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/camco-mfg-inc-v-jones-stephens-corp-ncmd-2019.