GurglePot, Inc. v. New Shreve, Crump & Low LLC

153 F. Supp. 3d 441, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 171229, 2015 WL 9455573
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedDecember 23, 2015
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 14-12760-JGD
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 153 F. Supp. 3d 441 (GurglePot, Inc. v. New Shreve, Crump & Low LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
GurglePot, Inc. v. New Shreve, Crump & Low LLC, 153 F. Supp. 3d 441, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 171229, 2015 WL 9455573 (D. Mass. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO DISMISS COUNTERCLAIMS

DEIN, UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

I. INTRODUCTION

The plaintiff, GurglePot, Inc. (“Gurgle-Pot”), designs and sells a line of fish-shaped ceramic pitchers under the registered trademark “GurglePot.” The defendant, New Shreve, Crump & Low LLC (“New SCL”), owns and operates fine jewelry stores with locations in Boston and Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. In addition to sales of jewelry and other gift items, New SCL markets and sells a line of cod-shaped ceramic pitchers under the trademark “Gurgling Cod.” It also owns a trademark registration for certain elements of the Gurgling Cod trade dress, and claims an exclusive right to use that trade dress in connection with the marketing, distribution and sale of ceramic pitchers in the United States.

In December 2013, after New SCL accused GurglePot of infringing upon its trademark rights, GurglePot filed this action against New SCL in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. The matter was transferred to this court in June 2014. By its Second Amended Complaint, GurglePot is seeking cancellation of New SCL’s trade dress registration, a declaratory judgment that New [443]*443SCL’s trade dress is invalid and that Gur-glePot’s pitcher does not infringe an enforceable trade dress, and monetary and injunctive relief for New SCL’s alleged tortious interference with GurglePot’s business expectations and relations. In response to the plaintiffs claims, New SCL has asserted Counterclaims against Gur-glePot for infringement of its registered trade dress pursuant to Section 32 of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1114(1) (First Counterclaim); trade dress infringement, unfair competition and false designation of origin pursuant to Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a) (Second Counterclaim); common law trade dress infringement and unfair competition (Third Counterclaim); and unfair and deceptive acts and practices in violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A (Fourth Counterclaim).

The matter is before the court on the “Plaintiffs Motion to Dismiss Counterclaims” (Docket No. 76), by which Gurgle-Pot is seeking dismissal of the Counterclaims for failure to state a claim under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). The plaintiff contends that all of New SCL’s claims must fail as a matter of law because its Gurgling Cod product is ineligible for trade dress protection under the Lanham Act, and is otherwise unprotected under federal copyright or patent law. As described below, GurglePot’s assertion that New SCL’s product falls outside the scope of the Lan-ham Act, and cannot qualify for protéction under trademark law, is at odds with the relevant authority. Accordingly, and for all the . reasons detailed herein, this court finds that New SCL has stated claims for relief under federal and state law, and that the plaintiffs motion to. dismiss must be DENIED.

IL STATEMENT OF FACTS

When ruling on a motion to dismiss a counterclaim for failure to state a claim pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), “[t]he court must accept all 'factual averments in the counterclaim as true and draw all reasonable inferences in the counter-claimant’s favor.” Brandt v. Advanced Cell Tech., Inc., 349 F.Supp.2d 54, 57 (D.Mass.2003). In doing so, the court “can consider (a) ‘implications from documents’ attached to or fairly ‘incorporated into the [counterclaim],’ (b) ‘facts’ susceptible to ‘judicial notice,’ and (c) ‘concessions’ in [the counterclaim] plaintiffs ‘response to the motion to dismiss.’” Schatz v. Republican State Leadership Comm., 669 F.3d 50, 55 (1st Cir.2012) (quoting Arturet-Velez v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 429 F.3d 10, 13 n.2 (1st Cir.2005)). Applying this standard to the instant case, the relevant facts are as follows.1

New SCL’s Gurgling Cod Trade Dress

The defendant, New SCL, is the owner and operator of the Shreve, Crump & Low fine jewelry stores. (Countercl.. ¶ 7). The first such store was established in Boston in 1796, and is one of the oldest jewelry stores in the country. (Id. ¶ 8). It has long had a reputation as a purveyor of .quality jewelry, watches and giftware. (Id.). New SCL has been operating the Shreve, Crump & Low stores in Boston and Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts since 2006, when .it purchased substantially all of the assets of [444]*444the business. (Id. ¶ 9; 2nd Am. Compl. (Docket No. 47) ¶ 11).

In addition to jewelry and other gift items, New SCL markets and sells, both in its stores and through its website, a line of cod-shaped ceramic pitchers under the trademark- “Gurgling Cod.” (2nd Am. Compl, ¶ 11; Countercl. ¶ 10). According to the defendant, the Gurgling Cod has been sold by New SCL and its predecessor, Shreve, Crump & Low, for more than 50 years. (Countercl. ¶ 11). It further alleges that “[t]he consuming public has come to associate the distinctive shape and appearance of the Gurgling Cod® (the “Gurglin Cod Trade Dress”) exclusively with New SCL[,]” and that the Gurgling Cod Trade Dress has become widely recognized by the public as a ubiquitous symbol of Boston. (Id. ¶¶ 12-13).

New SCL is the owner of a trademark registration for certain elements of the Gurgling Cod Trade Dress. (Id. ¶ 14). The registration was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 10, 2009. (Id. at Ex. A). As described therein, New SCL claims the following design in connection with “ceramic pitchers”:

[[Image here]]

(Id.). The registration also provides that “[t]he mark consists of three (3) dimensional configuration of a fished shaped container. The material shown in the broken lines is not claimed as part of the mark.” (Id.). Moreover, it specifically disclaims color as a feature of the mark. (Id. ¶ 14). New SCL contends that it has an exclusive right to use the Gurgling Cod Trade Dress in connection with the marketing, distribution and sale of ceramic pitchers throughout the United States. (2nd Am. Compl. ¶ 12).

The GurglePot Pitcher

GurglePot also manufactures a line fish-' shaped ceramic pitchers (the “GurglePot Pitchers”), which it sells to consumers in the United States and elsewhere, including in Massachusetts, under the trademark “GurglePot.” (Id. ¶ 10; Countercl. ¶¶ 15-16). The GurglePot Pitchers are sold directly to customers through the plaintiffs website, and indirectly through a distribution channel of retailers, including at least one retailer in the greater Boston area. (Countercl. ¶ 16; see also 2nd- Am. Compl. ¶¶ 18, 20). New SCL claims that the plaintiffs GurglePot Pitchers compete directly with its own line of Gurgling. Cod pitchers. (Countercl. ¶ 17).

The GurglePot Pitcher is depicted in New SCL’s counterclaims, as well as elsewhere in the record as follows:

[445]*445[[Image here]]

(Countercl ¶ 15; see also Def. Opp. Mem.

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Bluebook (online)
153 F. Supp. 3d 441, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 171229, 2015 WL 9455573, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gurglepot-inc-v-new-shreve-crump-low-llc-mad-2015.