GS Holistic, LLC v. Puff N Go Gift Shop LLC

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedJune 22, 2023
Docket5:22-cv-07634
StatusUnknown

This text of GS Holistic, LLC v. Puff N Go Gift Shop LLC (GS Holistic, LLC v. Puff N Go Gift Shop LLC) 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
GS Holistic, LLC v. Puff N Go Gift Shop LLC, (N.D. Cal. 2023).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 SAN JOSE DIVISION 7 8 GS HOLISTIC, LLC, Case No. 22-cv-07634-VKD

9 Plaintiff, ORDER FOR REASSIGNMENT TO A DISTRICT JUDGE; REPORT AND 10 v. RECOMMENDATION RE MOTION FOR DEFAULT JUDGMENT 11 PUFF N GO GIFT SHOP LLC, et al., Re: Dkt. No. 22 Defendants. 12

13 14 Plaintiff GS Holistic, LLC (“GS”) filed this action for alleged trademark infringement and 15 false designation of origin against Puff N Go Gift Shop, doing business as Puff N Go Smoke Shop 16 (“Shop”), Mohamed Alganim, and Abdullah Kaid Alawdi. Defendants failed to appear, and the 17 Clerk of the Court entered default against each of them. See Dkt. Nos. 18, 21. 18 GS now moves for default judgment. Dkt. No. 22. The Court found the matter suitable for 19 determination without oral argument and vacated the June 20, 2023 motion hearing. See Civil 20 L.R. 7-1(b); see also Dkt. No. 26. Although the record indicates that GS mailed its motion papers 21 to each defendant (see Dkt. No. 23), defendants have not responded to the motion for default 22 judgment. 23 GS has consented to proceed before a magistrate judge. Dkt. No. 7. However, no 24 defendant has appeared, and all defendants are in default. This Court therefore does not have the 25 consent of all parties. See 28 U.S.C. § 636(c); Fed. R. Civ. P. 73; Williams v. King, 875 F.3d 500 26 (9th Cir. 2017). Accordingly, the Court directs the Clerk of the Court to reassign this action to a 27 district judge, with the following report and recommendation that GS’s motion for default 1 REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION 2 I. BACKGROUND 3 According to its complaint, GS is a Delaware limited liability corporation with its principal 4 place of business in Los Angeles, California. Dkt. No. 1 ¶ 5. GS says that since 2020, it has 5 marketed and sold products, such as high-quality glass infusers and related accessories that 6 “facilitate a superior smoking experience,” under STÜNDENGLASS trademarks. Id. ¶¶ 8, 9. The 7 complaint further alleges that GS owns three STÜNDENGLASS registered trademarks 8 (“Stündenglass Marks”): 9 • “U.S. Trademark Registration Number 6,633,884 for the standard character mark 10 ‘Stündenglass’ in association with goods further identified in registration in 11 international class 011”; 12 • “U.S. Trademark Registration Number 6,174,292 for the design plus words mark 13 ‘S’ and its logo in association with goods further identified in the registration in 14 international class 034”; and 15 • “U.S. Trademark Registration Number 6,174,291 for the standard character mark 16 ‘Stündenglass’ in association with goods further identified in registration in 17 international class 034.” 18 Id. ¶¶ 11, 12. GS sells products under the Stündenglass Marks to about 3,000 authorized stores in 19 the United States, including in California. Id. ¶ 20. According to the complaint, “GS’s 20 Stündenglass branded products are made from superior materials,” and the “Stündenglass Marks 21 are distinctive to both the consuming public and [GS]’s trade” and “are widely recognized and 22 exclusively associated by consumers, the public, and the trade as being high-quality products 23 sourced from GS.” Id. ¶¶ 14, 15. GS alleges that consumers “are willing to pay higher prices for 24 genuine Stündenglass products,” noting that “a Stündenglass brand glass infuser is priced at 25 $599.95,” while non-Stündenglass products are sold at prices ranging from $199 to $600. Id. ¶ 21. 26 The defendant Shop is alleged to be a California corporation with its principal place of 27 business in Berkeley, California that “has engaged in the unlawful manufacture, retail sale, and/or 1 are identified as the Shop’s owners, who “owned, managed, and/or operated” the Shop and 2 regularly exercised the authority to purchase products, decide which products the Shop offered for 3 sale, hire and fire employees, and control the Shop’s finances and operations. Id. at 1; see also id. 4 ¶ 7. GS claims that defendants have unlawfully sold “substantially inferior” goods bearing 5 counterfeit STÜNDENGLASS marks. Id. ¶¶ 25-32, 34, 39, 41. Specifically, the complaint 6 alleges that on November 7, 2022, GS’s investigator purchased from the Shop a glass infuser, 7 “with a Stündenglass Mark affixed to it,” at a price of $331.25. Id. ¶¶ 29-31. GS says that an 8 “inspection” confirmed that the infuser sold to the investigator was counterfeit. Id. ¶ 31. 9 Defendants’ use of the counterfeit Stündenglass Marks allegedly “began long after” the marks 10 were registered. Id. ¶ 33. GS claims that defendants’ use of the counterfeit marks is likely to 11 cause customer confusion, divert sales from legitimate Stündenglass retailers, and has damaged 12 the goodwill and reputation associated with GS’s Stündenglass Marks. Id. ¶¶ 35-38, 42. 13 GS asserts Lanham Act claims for “[t]rademark [c]ounterfeiting and [i]nfringement, 15 14 U.S.C. § 1114” (claim 1) and for “[f]alse [d]esignation of [o]rigin and [u]nfair [c]ompetition, 15 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)” (claim 2). Id. ¶¶ 53-70. The complaint seeks statutory and trebled damages, 16 costs, preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, and other equitable relief. Id. at 13-15. In its 17 motion for default judgment, GS requests $50,000 in statutory damages for each of the three 18 trademarks at issue, for total statutory damages of $150,000; $993.25 in costs; a permanent 19 injunction against the defendants; and an order requiring defendants to deliver to GS for 20 destruction all products and other materials bearing any of the Stündenglass Marks. See Dkt. No. 21 22 at 10-11. 22 II. LEGAL STANDARD 23 Default may be entered against a party who fails to plead or otherwise defend an action. 24 Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a). After entry of default, a court may, in its discretion, enter default judgment. 25 Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(b)(2);1 Aldabe v. Aldabe, 616 F.2d 1089, 1092 (9th Cir. 1980). In deciding 26 1 A default judgment may be entered against a minor or incompetent person only if represented by 27 a general guardian, conservator, or other like fiduciary who has appeared.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 1 whether to enter default judgment, a court may consider the following factors: (1) the possibility 2 of prejudice to the plaintiff; (2) the merits of the plaintiff's substantive claim; (3) the sufficiency of 3 the complaint; (4) the sum of money at stake in the action; (5) the possibility of a dispute 4 concerning material facts; (6) whether the default was due to excusable neglect; and (7) the strong 5 policy underlying the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure favoring decisions on the merits. Eitel v. 6 McCool, 782 F.2d 1470, 1471-72 (9th Cir. 1986). In considering these factors, all factual 7 allegations in the plaintiff’s complaint are taken as true, except those relating to damages. 8 TeleVideo Sys., Inc. v.

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GS Holistic, LLC v. Puff N Go Gift Shop LLC, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gs-holistic-llc-v-puff-n-go-gift-shop-llc-cand-2023.