Goldic Electrical Inc. v. Loto Corp.

27 F. App'x 71
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedNovember 27, 2001
DocketNo. 01-7103
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 27 F. App'x 71 (Goldic Electrical Inc. v. Loto Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Goldic Electrical Inc. v. Loto Corp., 27 F. App'x 71 (2d Cir. 2001).

Opinion

SUMMARY ORDER

This cause came on to be heard on the record from the United States .District Court for the Southern District of New York, and was submitted by counsel.

ON CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, it is now hereby ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the order of said District Court granting an injunction be and it hereby is affirmed and the matter is remanded for entry of an appropriate injunctive order; in all other respects, the appeal is dismissed for lack of appellate jurisdiction.

Defendants Loto Corporation U.S.A. et al., doing business as Gold Star Trading (collectively “Loto”), appeal from so much of an order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Denny Chin, Judge, as (1) denied Loto’s motion for (a) summary judgment dismissing Lanham Act claims asserted by plaintiffs Goldie Electrical Inc., et al. (collectively “Goldie”), and (b) summary judgment in favor of Loto on one of its counterclaims, and (2) enjoined Loto from using a trademark comprising a combination of Chinese characters that translate to “Golden Dictionary,” which refers to a product that Goldie has the exclusive right to distribute in the United States, and required Loto to remove all signs displaying such a mark from its premises. For the reasons that follow, we affirm in part and dismiss in part for lack of appellate jurisdiction. Appellate Jurisdiction

The bulk of Loto’s brief on appeal argues that the district court erred in denying its motion for summary judgment. We lack jurisdiction to consider these arguments, for no final judgment has been entered, no certification and leave to appeal have been obtained pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b), and in such circumstances an order denying a motion for summary judgment is not immediately appealable, see, e.g., Switzerland Cheese Association v. E. Horne’s Market, Inc., 385 U.S. 23, 25, 87 S.Ct. 193, 17 L.Ed.2d 23 (1966); Chappell & Co. v. Frankel, 367 F.2d 197, 199 (2d Cir.1966) (en banc). Accordingly, we dismiss for lack of jurisdiction so much of the appeal as seeks review of the district court’s order denying Loto’s motion for summary judgment.

As to the district court’s ruling that Loto is enjoined from using the Golden Dictionary mark and is required to remove all signs bearing that mark from its premises, we conclude, despite some procedural irregularities, which we consider sua sponte, that we have jurisdiction. First, although the district court granted Goldie partial summary judgment and stated that it was granting a permanent injunction, the record does not indicate that any final [73]*73judgment was entered in the action in accordance with Fed.R.Civ.P. 54. Nonetheless, such a ruling, as an interlocutory-injunctive order, is immediately reviewable pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1292(a).

Second, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provide that a judgment, which is defined to include “any order from which an appeal lies,” Fed.R.Civ.P. 54(a), must “be set forth on a separate document,” Fed.R.Civ.P. 58, and that “[a] judgment is effective only when so set forth,” id. See also Fed.R.Civ.P. 58 Advisory Committee Note (1963) (judgment must be set forth on a separate document “distinct from any opinion or memorandum”); RR Village Ass’n v. Denver Sewer Corp., 826 F.2d 1197, 1201 (2d Cir.1987) (14-page opinion stating “So Ordered” at the end does not satisfy Rule 58’s separate-document requirement); Calmaquip Engineering West Hemisphere Corp. v. West Coast Carriers Ltd., 650 F.2d 633, 635-36 (5th Cir.1981) (opinion entitled “Order Granting Motion for Summary Judgment” did not satisfy requirement); Caperton v. Beatrice Pocahontas Coal Co., 585 F.2d 683, 686 & n. 5, 689 (4th Cir.1978) (10 page “Opinion and Order” did not satisfy requirement); 12 Moore’s Federal Practice § 58.02[2], at 58-8 to 58-9 (3d ed.1999). Ordinarily, a losing party’s time to appeal does not begin to run until the prescribed separate document is entered; however, the principal purpose of the separate-document requirement is to enable a party to know when the appeal time has begun, see, e.g., Bankers Trust Co. v. Mallis, 435 U.S. 381, 384-86, 98 S.Ct. 1117, 55 L.Ed.2d 357 (1978) (per curiam); United States v. Indrelunas, 411 U.S. 216, 219-22, 93 S.Ct. 1562, 36 L.Ed.2d 202 (1973) (per curiam); Leonhard v. United States, 633 F.2d 599, 611 (2d Cir.1980), cert. denied, 451 U.S. 908, 101 S.Ct. 1975, 68 L.Ed.2d 295 (1981), and where the aggrieved party has taken an appeal prior to the entry of such a document, the court of appeals should disregard the flaw and entertain the appeal, see Bankers Trust Co. v. Mallis, 435 U.S. at 385-88.

In the present case, the record does not indicate entry of any separate document setting forth the terms of the injunction. In accordance with Bankers Trust Co. v. Mallis, however, we disregard that failure in light of Loto’s filing an appeal, and we conclude that we have jurisdiction of the appeal. Although we have one additional concern with regard to the form of the injunction, which we discuss below, it does not affect our jurisdiction.

The Merits of the Injunction

As to the merits of the injunction prohibiting Loto’s display of the Golden Dictionary mark, Loto argues principally that the court erred because its store offered for sale genuine Golden Dictionaries, albeit inoperable ones. We see no basis for reversal. The ultimate question on appellate review of a district court’s issuance of an injunction is whether, in light of the applicable standard, the court has abused its discretion. See, e.g., Doran v. Salem Inn, Inc., 422 U.S. 922, 931-32, 95 S.Ct. 2561, 45 L.Ed.2d 648 (1975) (preliminary injunction); Starter Corp. v. Converse, Inc., 170 F.3d 286, 298 (2d Cir.1999) (permanent injunction); Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Inc. v. Pussycat Cinema,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Third Church of Christ v. City of New York
617 F. Supp. 2d 201 (S.D. New York, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
27 F. App'x 71, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/goldic-electrical-inc-v-loto-corp-ca2-2001.