Dish Network, LLC. v. Fun Dish, Inc.

112 F. Supp. 3d 627, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76447, 2015 WL 3681658
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedJune 12, 2015
DocketCase No. 1:08CV1540
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 112 F. Supp. 3d 627 (Dish Network, LLC. v. Fun Dish, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dish Network, LLC. v. Fun Dish, Inc., 112 F. Supp. 3d 627, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76447, 2015 WL 3681658 (N.D. Ohio 2015).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

CHRISTOPHER A. BOYKO, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment, or in the Alternative, Partial Summary Judgment (ECF # 337). For the following reasons, the Court grants, in part, and denies, in part, Defendants’ Motion.

Plaintiff’s Third Amended Complaint alleges a number of claims against Defendants Fun Dish, Inc. (an Ohio corporation that acquires and manages toll free numbers ' for other companies and acts as a pass through’ for' credit card charges for Fun Dish of'Florida, Inc.), Fun Dish of Florida, Inc. (a Florida corp. with its principal place of business in Florida and current owner of the rights to allegedly infringing phone numbers at issue in this suit), and Dish 1 Up Satellite, Inc., an Ohio corporation with its principal place of business in Ohio and a DirecTV retailer. DirecTV is a direct competitor of Dish Network in the Direct Broadcast Satellite business.

According to Plaintiff’s Third Amended Complaint, Plaintiffs primary customer service number is 1-800-333-DISH (3474). Defendants use the numbers 1-888-333-3474 and 1-866-333-3474 along with several additional numbers containing the alphanumeric DISH embodied in' the last four digits 3474. The heart of Plaintiffs Complaint is that Defendants are using these confusingly similar numbers to ensnare Plaintiffs customers, attempting to reach Plaintiff "via its customer service number but misdial and reach Defendants. Defendants then siphon off Plaintiffs, customers using misrepresentations and sign them up for DirecTV. Plaintiffs Third Amended Complaint alleges Unfair Competition under the Lanham Act against -Dish 1 Up, Inc. and Fun Dish, Inc.; Deceptive Trade Practices in violation of Ohio’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act against Dish 1 Up, Inc., and Fun Dish, Inc.; Common Law Unfair Competition against Dish 1 Up, Inc. and Fun Dish, Inc.; Two Counts of Common Law Trademark Infringement and Trade Name Infringement against Dish 1 Up, Inc. and Fun Dish, Inc.; Trademark Infringement under the Lanham Act against Dish 1 Up, Inc., and-Fun Dish, Inc.; Trademark Infringement under the Lanham Act against Dish 1 Up, Inc., and Fun Dish of Florida, Inc.; and Common Law Infringement against Dish 1 Up, Inc., and Fun Dish of Florida, Inc,

Deferidants’ First Amended Counterclaim seeks Cancellation of Trademark Registration No. 3,440, 594 (“DISH”) Pursuant to 15 U.S.C. §§ 1064 and 1119 (Count I); Declaratory Judgment-Invalidity of Mark Under the Lanham Act (Count ÍI); Cancellation of Trademark No.' 3,264,300 (“DISH NETWORK”) Under 15 U.S.C. §§ 1064 and 1119 (Count III); Cancellation of Trademark Registration (“DISH ON DEMAND”) (Count IV); Refusal of Trademark Application (“DISH DIGITAL SIGNS”) (Count V); Refusal of Trademark Application (“DISHMARKET-INGSOLUTIONS”) (Count VI); Refusal of Trademark Application (“MOBILEDISH”) (Count VII); Sherman Act violation (Count VIII); Common Law Unfair Competition (Count IX); Common Law Tortious Interference with Prospective Business Advantage (Count X); and Trademark Infringement Lanham Act (Count XI). In a prior ruling, the Court dismissed Defendants’ Sherman.Act and Tortious Interference claims.

[631]*631 Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment

Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment seeks a determination by the Court that Plaintiffs’ “DISH” trademark, is. generic or merely , descriptive and lacking in secondary meaning. Defendants argue that such a finding by the Court would entitle them to summary judgment on all Plaintiffs claims and Defendants’ First Amended Counterclaim. Defendants’ further argue .their use of telephone, numbers, which include 3474, does not constitute trademark infringement or unfair competition, entitling them to summary judgment. Lastly, Defendants' contend that by waiting four years to bring this action against Defendants after first learning of the alleged infringement, Defendants -are entitled to summary judgment due to ‘ their affirmative defenses of laches and acquiescence.

Defendants’ primary argument on summary judgment is Plaintiff’s trademark of the term “DISH” is too generic and, therefore, neither valid nor protectable. Defendants' argue that Plaintiff obtained the trademark in 2008 after having -been denied repeatedly by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It was only after Plaintiff introduced a survey, purr-porting to show that the public did not regard “Dish” to be a generic term, that the PTO granted the trademark. However, Defendants contend the survey’s author represented that the survey was not intended to show the genericness of the term “Dish” and further represented that Plaintiff is misusing the survey.

Defendants further argue they began using the contested numbers years before Plaintiff obtained the trademark, therefore, they cannot be liable for infringement. Also, Defendants argue that the use of frequently misdialed numbers, containing numbers that correspond alphanumerically to Plaintiffs -trademark, does not violate, the, Lanham Act under Sixth Circuit precedent. Lastly, concerning Plaintiffs trademark infringement claims, Defendants. argue Plaintiff- - unreasonably delayed bringing an action for years after learning of Defendants use of similar numbers, therefore, the doctrines, of lach-es and acquiescence .defeat Plaintiffs claim. Defendants claim Plaintiff knew that Defendants desired to purchase the numbers in -2003 and knew Defendants were using the numbers in 2004, yet waited until 2008 to bring suit.

Defendants also argue that Plaintiff disclaimed the term.“DISH” in order to obtain a trademark for “Dish Network” as recently as 2007. In 2005, Plaintiff applied for a trademark of the term “DISH,” which was repeatedly denied by the.USP-TO as too generic until Plaintiff introduced the survey which, as stated above, is flawed. Plaintiff allegedly began using the term “DISH” as a trademark back in 1996, but Defendants argue Plaintiff has failed to produce any such evidence. In fact, Defendants argue, Plaintiff has produced no evidence of its use of the “DISH” trademark before Defendants began using the numbers in 2004.

Defendants also point out that in 2003, Dish 1 Up learned the 888 number - in question was inactive and contacted Plaintiff tq discuss purchase of the number. Plaintiff informed -Dish 1 Up -that Plaintiff did not own the rights to the number and thereafter, Dish-1 Up leased the number. Then, in 2004,. Dish 1 Up contacted Plaintiff to determine if Plaintiff wanted to buy the number from Defendant. Plaintiff indicated it was ,not interested in acquiring the number and that Dish 1 Up was free to have it. .

Defendants do not dispute that they acquired the numbers specifically to answer misdials to existing subscribers of Plaintiff attempting to reach Plaintiff’s customer [632]*632support number. However, the evidence will show Defendants did not manipulate customers or misrepresent who they were. Instead, Defendants attempted to- take Plaintiffs own' dissatisfied customers. Furthermore, Defendants contend they had strong‘policies in place to prevent any misrepresentations by employees, ‘ including scripts -expressly identifying Defendants as a DirecTV retailer.

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Bluebook (online)
112 F. Supp. 3d 627, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76447, 2015 WL 3681658, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dish-network-llc-v-fun-dish-inc-ohnd-2015.