Groupion, LLC v. Groupon, Inc.

859 F. Supp. 2d 1067, 103 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1326, 2012 WL 1655728, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65772
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedMay 8, 2012
DocketNo. C 11-00870 JSW
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 859 F. Supp. 2d 1067 (Groupion, LLC v. Groupon, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Groupion, LLC v. Groupon, Inc., 859 F. Supp. 2d 1067, 103 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1326, 2012 WL 1655728, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65772 (N.D. Cal. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING GROUPON’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

JEFFREY S. WHITE, District Judge.

Now before the Court is the motion for summary judgment filed by Defendant Groupon, Inc. (“Groupon”). Having carefully reviewed the parties’ papers, considered their arguments and the relevant legal authority, the Court hereby grants Groupon’s motion for summary judgment.1

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Groupion, LLC. (“Groupion”) contends that Groupon is infringing upon its trademark. Groupon is moving for summary judgment on all of Groupion’s claims against it. The Court shall refer to additional facts as necessary in the remainder of this Order.

ANALYSIS

A. Applicable Legal Standards.

A principal purpose of the summary judgment procedure is to identify and dispose of factually unsupported claims. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323-24, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Summary judgment is proper when the “pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). “In considering a motion [1072]*1072for summary judgment, the court may not weigh the evidence or make credibility determinations, and is required to draw all inferences in a light most favorable to the non-moving party.” Freeman v. Arpaio, 125 F.3d 732, 735 (9th Cir.1997).

The party moving for summary judgment bears the initial burden of identifying those portions of the pleadings, discovery, and affidavits that demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548. An issue of fact is “genuine” only if there is sufficient evidence for a reasonable fact finder to find for the non-moving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248-49, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). A fact is “material” if it may affect the outcome of the case. Id. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505. If the party moving for summary judgment does not have the ultimate burden of persuasion at trial, that party must produce evidence which either negates an essential element of the non-moving party’s claims or that party must show that the non-moving party does not have enough evidence of an essential element to carry its ultimate burden of persuasion at trial. Nissan Fire & Marine Ins. Co. v. Fritz Cos., 210 F.3d 1099, 1102 (9th Cir.2000). Once the moving party meets its initial burden, the non-moving party must go beyond the pleadings and, by its own evidence, “set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e).

In order to make this showing, the non-moving party must “identify with reasonable particularity the evidence that precludes summary judgment.” Keenan v. Allan, 91 F.3d 1275, 1279 (9th Cir.1996). In addition, the party seeking to establish a genuine issue of material fact must take care adequately to point a court to the evidence precluding summary judgment because a court is “ ‘not required to comb the record to find some reason to deny a motion for summary judgment.’ ” Carmen v. San Francisco Unified School Dist., 237 F.3d 1026, 1029 (9th Cir.2001) (quoting Forsberg v. Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co., 840 F.2d 1409, 1418 (9th Cir.1988)). If the non-moving party fails to point to evidence precluding summary judgment, the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548.

B. Groupon’s Motion.

1. Groupion’s Trademark Infringement and Unfair Competition Claims.

To establish trademark infringement under the Lanham Act, Groupion must establish that Groupon is “using a mark confusingly similar to a valid, protectable trademark of [Groupion’s].” Brookfield Communications, Inc. v. West Coast Entertainment, 174 F.3d 1036, 1046 (9th Cir.1999). At issue is whether Groupion has shown a likelihood of confusion, i.e. “whether the similarity of the marks is likely to confuse the customers about the source of the products.” GoTo.Com, Inc. v. Walt Disney Co., 202 F.3d 1199, 1205 (9th Cir.2000) (internal quotations omitted). Groupion bears the burden of proving likelihood of confusion. See Lindy Pen Co., Inc. v. Bic Pen Corp., 725 F.2d 1240, 1243 (9th Cir.1984). “Likelihood of confusion requires that confusion be probable, not simply a possibility.” Rodeo Collection, Ltd. v. West Seventh, 812 F.2d 1215, 1217 (9th Cir.1987); see also Playboy Enterprises, Inc. v. Terri Welles, Inc., 78 F.Supp.2d 1066, 1083 (S.D.Cal.1999) (“There must be a substantial likelihood that the public will be confused.”) (emphasis in original) (citation omitted), rev’d in part on other grounds, 279 F.3d 796 (9th Cir.2002).

To determine whether there is a likelihood of confusion between the marks, [1073]*1073the Ninth Circuit applies the following eight factor test: “(1) the similarity of the marks; (2) the relatedness of the two companies’ services; (3) the marketing channel used; (4) the strength of [the plaintiffs] mark; (5) [the defendant’s] intent in selecting its mark; (6) evidence of actual confusion; (7) the likelihood of expansion into other markets; and (8) the degree of care likely to be exercised by purchasers.” GoTo.Com, Inc., 202 F.3d at 1205. However, “the eight-factor test is a pliant one, in which some factors are much more important than others.” Id.

The Court notes that “[b]eeause of the intensely factual nature of trademark disputes, summary judgment is generally disfavored in the trademark arena.” Entrepreneur Media, Inc. v. Smith, 279 F.3d 1135, 1140 (9th Cir.2002) (citation omitted). Nevertheless, where no material issues of fact are raised reflecting confusion between the marks, summary judgment is appropriate. Surfvivor Media, Inc. v. Survivor Productions, 406 F.3d 625, 628 (9th Cir.2005). To defeat Groupon’s motion for summary judgment, Groupion must “create a genuine issue that confusion is probable, not simply a possibility.” Cohn v. Petsmart, Inc., 281 F.3d 837, 842 (9th Cir.2002) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).

i. Similarity of the Marks.

The similarity of the marks is a critical question in this analysis. GoTo.Com, 202 F.3d at 1205.

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859 F. Supp. 2d 1067, 103 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1326, 2012 WL 1655728, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65772, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/groupion-llc-v-groupon-inc-cand-2012.