Industria de Diseno Textil, SA v. Zara Academy LLC

District Court, E.D. Washington·Decided April 8, 2024·No. 2:23-cv-00046·Unknown

Opinion

FILED IN THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON Apr 08, 2024 SEAN F. MCAVOY, CLERK AKA INDITEX, S.A. and ZARA USA, No. 2:23-CV-00046-SAB Plaintiffs, ORDER AND PERMANENT v. INJUNCTION ZARA ACADEMY, LLC and GABRIELA Defendants. Before the Court is Plaintiffs’ Motion for Default Judgment Against Defendant Zara Academy, LLC and Gabriela Amante, ECF No. 13. Plaintiffs are represented by Briggs M. Wright and Lisa S. Pearson. The motion was heard without oral argument. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Procedure 55(b)(2) and Local Civil Rule 55(b), Plaintiffs Industria De Diseño Textil, S.A. aka Inditex, S.A. (“Inditex”) and Zara USA, Inc., (collectively, “Zara” or “Plaintiffs”) have moved this Court for a default judgment against Defendants Zara Academy, LLC and Gabriela Amante (collectively, “Defendants”) and a permanent injunction prohibiting Defendants from engaging in future acts of trademark infringement under Section 32(1) of the Trademark Act of 1946 (the “Lanham Act”), 15 U.S.C. § 1114(1); unfair competition and false designation of origin under Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a); federal trademark dilution under Section 43(c) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(c); dilution under the law of Washington, RCW § 19.77.160; unfair and deceptive trade practices under the laws of several states, including Washington, RCW § 19.86.020; and unfair competition under common law. Defendants have elected not to defend against Zara’s claims, and default was entered against each of them on January 3, 2024. ECF 12. Having reviewed Plaintiffs’ motion and the supporting documents submitted therewith, the Court finds good cause to grant the requested relief. The Court has authority to enter a default judgment based on the clerk’s entry of default (ECF 12) pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55 and Local Civil Rule 55. The Court accepts the well-pleaded allegations of the Complaint as established fact. See TeleVideo Sys., Inc. v. Heidenthal, 826 F.2d 915, 917-18 (9th Cir. 1987). The Court finds that Zara is entitled to the entry of a default judgment, and to the relief requested in its Proposed Order and Permanent Injunction. A. The Court Has Jurisdiction to Enter Default Judgment “When entry of judgment is sought against a party who has failed to plead or otherwise defend, a district court has an affirmative duty to look into its jurisdiction over both the subject matter and the parties.” In re Tuli, 172 F.3d 707, 712 (9th Cir. 1999). Here, the Court has subject matter jurisdiction over Zara’s claims and personal jurisdiction over Defendants. The Court has subject matter jurisdiction over Zara’s federal claims for trademark infringement, unfair competition, false description and false designation or origin, and trademark dilution under the Lanham Act pursuant to Sections 1331, 1338(a), and 1338(b) of the Judicial Code, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1338(a), and 1338(b). The Court has subject matter jurisdiction over Zara’s state claims for trademark dilution under Washington law, unfair and deceptive trade practices under the Washington Consumer Protection Act (“WCPA”), and common law trademark infringement and unfair competition under principles of pendent jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367 because those claims are directly related to its federal claims. The Court has general jurisdiction over Defendants because, as residents of the Eastern District of Washington, they are “primarily at home” in this district. Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations, S.A. v. Brown, 564 U.S. 915, 925 (2011); Compl. (ECF 1) ¶¶ 13-14.1 The Court also has specific jurisdiction over Defendants because “their contacts with the forum give rise to the cause of action before the Court.” Doe v. Unocal Corp., 248 F.3d 915, 923 (9th Cir. 2001). Specifically, Defendants purposefully directed their tortious acts towards Washington (¶¶ 33-34), and but for Defendants’ tortious acts, Zara would not have been injured. See CollegeSource, Inc. v. AcademyOne, Inc., 653 F.3d 1066, 1076 (9th Cir. 2011). B. Zara Has Established Defendants’ Liability 1. Defendants are Liable for Trademark Infringement Under the Lanham Act To establish trademark infringement under Section 32(1) of the Lanham Act, a claimant must show: (1) it has a federally registered trademark or service mark; and (2) the alleged infringer’s use of the mark “is likely to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive.” Reno Air Racing Ass’n v. McCord, 452 F.3d 1126, 1134 (9th Cir. 2006); 15 U.S.C. § 1114(1). Plaintiff Inditex, the owner of the federally registered marks at issue, has established both elements. Through its retail stores and e-commerce websites, Inditex and its affiliated companies, including its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary Plaintiff Zara USA, Inc., offers a broad range of goods and retail services under the name and mark ZARA, composite marks containing that term, and design variants thereof (the “ZARA Marks”). ¶¶ 3-5. // // Inditex commenced use of ZARA as both a service mark and a trademark to brand its stores, products, and websites in the U.S. in 1989 and in 2009 started using the distinctive logo depicted below: ° ZARA

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