Getir U.S., Inc. v. Doe

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedJune 8, 2023
Docket1:21-cv-01237
StatusUnknown

This text of Getir U.S., Inc. v. Doe (Getir U.S., Inc. v. Doe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Getir U.S., Inc. v. Doe, (E.D. Va. 2023).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA Alexandria Division

GETIR US, INC., et al., ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) v. ) Civil Action No. 1:21-cv-1237 (RDA/WEF) ) JOHN DOE, et al., ) ) Defendants. ) ____________________________________)

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Default Judgment. Dkt. 58. This Court has dispensed with oral argument as it would not aid in the decisional process. Fed. R. Civ. P. 78(b); Local Civil Rule 7(J). This matter has been fully briefed and is now ripe for disposition. Having considered the Motion, Plaintiffs’ Memorandum in Support (Dkt. 59), Plaintiffs’ Supplemental Memorandum (Dkt. 65), Magistrate Judge Fitzpatrick’s Report and Recommendation (Dkt. 66), and Plaintiffs’ Objection to the Report and Recommendation (Dkt. 67), this Court will ADOPT the Report and Recommendation in full, REJECT Plaintiffs’ Objection to the R&R, and therefore DENY Plaintiff’s Motion for Default Judgment (Dkt. 58) for the following reasons. I. BACKGROUND A. Factual Background! Plaintiffs, Getir U.S. Inc. and Getir Perakende Lojistik A.S. (collectively, “Getir”), offer “on-demand speedy delivery service for grocery items” as well as “a courier service for restaurant food deliveries.” Dkt. 28 (Unredacted Amended Complaint) § 21. Through Getir’s mobile application, customers place an order, which is “retrieved by the nearest Getir G-Store[,]” prepared by that store, and then delivered to the customer by e-bike or e-scooter. Id. | 22. Getir offers services throughout the world, including in cities in Turkey, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal. /d. ] 23. In 2021, Getir announced that it was planning on expanding to the United States. Id. 4 25. Getir owns a trademark, GETIR. Jd. {| 26. The trademark includes the word GETIR, a square logo, and a circular logo:

' Tn evaluating Plaintiffs’ Motion for Default Judgment, the Court takes the well-pleaded allegations of fact in Plaintiffs’ Complaint as true. Ryan v. Homecomings Fin. Network, 253 F.3d 778, 780 (4th Cir. 2001).

Id. § 26. Getir’s marks are covered by U.S. Registration No. 6026027 and U.S. Serial No. 90704110. Id. A couple of years ago, Getir found out that those trademarks were being improperly used. On November 5, 2021, Getir discovered that a website, www.getir190.com, was making false statements about “Getir and its business practices.” Id. 27. Specifically, the website contains an alteration of Getir’s trademarks, depicting an individual crashing a bike and flying off from it:

Id. 30. To the “immediate right” of the mark, the website states: SINCE 2020, MORE THAN 190 GETIR RIDERS HAVE DIED ON THE JOB IN TURKEY AMONG 630,000 TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS INVOLVING THEIR RIDERS. Getir workers in Turkey have no rights and no insurance, exposing them and their families to a life of debt and destitution if they get injured or die on the job. Getir is all smiles for now in Europe and the UK, but slowly and surely the mask is starting to slip. Id. § 31. Further down, it reads: YOUR GETIR ORDER COULD KILL A RIDER AND LEAVE A BROKEN FAMILY If a driver gets injured or dies, they or their families are left with nothing. The riders have no insurance and can expect no sympathy or pay out from the company. Every Getir driver is a moment away from death, injury and destitution.

Id. ¶ 32. The website also contains “an embedded [] video that contains similar statements.” Id. ¶ 33. Getir contends that those statements are false. Id. ¶ 34. That single website was not all that was aimed at Getir. On November 5, 2021, flyers were posted “throughout the United Kingdom” using the same imagery as was posted on getir190.com and including a QR code that directed individuals to getir190.com. Id. ¶ 42. Those flyers were still being posted through 2022. Id. ¶ 43. The original website also encouraged visitors “to share stories about Getir and post links to the website to social media or share the QR code” that contains the link to the website. Id. ¶ 44. Later on (two days after Getir filed its original Complaint in this action) a new website emerged—www.190getir.com—stating that “Getir190 is under attack[,]”

that “Getir ‘brings death in minutes[,]’” and that the “190 casualties were more than Getir delivery drivers.” Id. ¶ 46. B. Procedural Background

Getir filed its original Complaint on November 28, 2021, along with an Emergency Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order. Dkt. Nos. 1; 2. The Court granted the Emergency Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order on November 12, 2021. Dkt. 20. Getir then filed an Amended Complaint on November 15, 2021, Dkt. 21, and again filed a corresponding Emergency Motion for a TRO, Dkt. 22, which was granted on November 19, 2021, Dkt. 31. Getir posted bond for the TRO in the amount of $500 on November 22, 2021. Dkt. 37. Getir then filed a Motion for a Preliminary Injunction on December 17, 2021, Dkt. 39, which was granted by this Court on December 21, 2021, Dkt. 41. On October 12, 2022, this Court asked Getir to show cause why this action should not be dismissed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(m), Dkt. 51, and subsequently Plaintiffs (1) dismissed their defamation claims, Dkt. 52; and (2) requested an entry of Default on their cybersquatting claim, Dkt. 53. After the Clerk entered default on November 4, 2022, Dkt. 57, Getir filed its Motion for Default Judgment on November 7, 2022, Dkt. 58. Magistrate Judge Fitzpatrick heard argument on Getir’s Motion for Default Judgment on December 9, 2022. Dkt. 63. He then ordered supplemental briefing on January 31, 2023, Dkt. 64, which Plaintiffs filed on February 10, 2023, Dkt. 65. Magistrate Judge Fitzpatrick issued a Report

and Recommendation that this Court deny Getir’s Motion for a Default Judgment on March 14, 2023. Dkt. 66. Getir objected to that R&R on March 28, 2023. Dkt. 67. II. STANDARD OF REVIEW When evaluating an R&R, a district court employs different standards depending on whether a party has objected. If a party has not objected to the R&R, the court “need not conduct a de novo review, but instead must ‘only satisfy itself that there is no clear error on the face of the record in order to accept the recommendation.’” Diamond v. Colonial Life & Acc. Ins. Co., 416 F.3d 310, 315 (4th Cir. 2005) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 72 advisory committee’s note). However, a district court “must determine de novo any part of the magistrate judge’s disposition that has

been properly objected to.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 72. Rule 55(b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure governs default judgments sought from the Court. In evaluating a Default Judgment Motion, the Court determines “whether the well- pleaded allegations in [the] [C]omplaint support the relief sought.” Ryan, 253 F.3d at 780. This means that the Court must accept the factual allegations as true and independently determine whether those allegations state a claim under the applicable law. Id. This is akin to review pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

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Bluebook (online)
Getir U.S., Inc. v. Doe, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/getir-us-inc-v-doe-vaed-2023.