Merriam-Webster, Inc. v. Random House, Inc.

815 F. Supp. 691, 26 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1161, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6312, 1993 WL 63920
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 8, 1993
DocketNo. 91 Civ. 1221 (LMM)
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 815 F. Supp. 691 (Merriam-Webster, Inc. v. Random House, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Merriam-Webster, Inc. v. Random House, Inc., 815 F. Supp. 691, 26 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1161, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6312, 1993 WL 63920 (S.D.N.Y. 1993).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

McKENNA, District Judge.

I.

Pending before this Court are the post-trial motions of both plaintiff and defendant. Defendant Random House, Inc.’s (“RH”) motion urges that the Court grant RH judgment as a matter of law pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 50 or, alternatively, that the Court grant a new trial, in whole or in part, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 59. Plaintiff Merriam-Webster, Incorporated (“M-W”) brings a cross motion for partial judgment as a matter of law and for attorneys’ fees pursuant to Rule 50.

Plaintiff, a well-known publisher of reference books such as dictionaries, initiated the present action for federal trademark infringement, unfair competition and false designation of origin under the U.S. Trademark Act of 1946, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 1051 et seq., and for unfair competition and trademark infringement under the law of New York against defendant RH, also a well-known publisher of, among other books, reference books, including dictionaries.

This action involves dictionaries published by the respective parties. In 1991, defendant commenced publication of its latest dictionary, whose title page reads “Random House Webster’s College Dictionary.” This dictionary will be referred to as the “RH Dictionary.” Plaintiffs most recent dictionary was published in 1983 and its title page reads “Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary.” This dictionary will be referred to [695]*695as the “M-W Dictionary.” While the evidence and arguments on both sides have been wide-ranging, the dispute centers on two aspects of the RH Dictionary. M-W contends, first, that RH’s use of the words “Webster’s” and “College” in combination constitutes trademark infringement and, second, that the trade dress employed by RH violates M-W’s rights.

A four-week jury trial began on September 19, 1991 and concluded when the jury answered the Interrogatories to Jury submitted to it at the conclusion of the trial and found in favor of plaintiff in the amounts of (i) $1,774,713 on plaintiffs Lanham Act § 43(a) claim for damages for trade dress infringement (which award was challenged as inconsistent by defendant and sustained by this Court in its Memorandum and Order dated December 23, 1991); and (ii) $500,000 on plaintiffs claim for punitive damages based on common law trade dress infringement.

Specifically, the jury made the following findings of fact in response to the Interrogatories to Jury submitted to it (the findings will be numbered as they were in the Interrogatories to Jury): (Al) that the phrase “W'ebster’s Collegiate” is a trademark of MW for dictionaries; (A2) that RH did not show that the phrase “Webster’s Collegiate,” as applied to dictionaries, is generic; (A3) that the phrase “Webster’s Collegiate,” as applied to dictionaries, is descriptive; (A4) that the phrase “Webster’s Collegiate,” as applied to M-W dictionaries, has acquired secondary meaning; (A5) that RH did not infringe M-W’s trademark “Webster’s Collegiate” for dictionaries; (A6) that M-W’s trademark “Webster’s Collegiate” for dictionaries is strong and distinctive; (A7) that RH diluted the distinctiveness of M-W’s trademark “Webster’s Collegiate” for dictionaries; (Bl) that M-W’s trade dress is distinctive; (B2) that M-W’s trade dress acquired secondary meaning; (B3) that RH’s trade dress infringed M-W’s trade dress; (Cl) that RH did not infringe M-W’s registered trademark “Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary” in a circle; (Dl) that MW’s trade dress is strong and distinctive; (D2) that RH’s trade dress dilutes the distinctiveness of M-W’s trade dress; (El) that M-W’s registered trademark “Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary” in a circle is strong and distinctive; (E2) that RH did not dilute the distinctiveness of M-W’s registered trademark “Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary” in a circle; (FI) that RH’s infringement was intentional; (F2) that M-W is to be awarded $1,774,713 (entered on the line reading “Merriam Webster’s lost profits”) plus zero (the line reading “Random House’s net profits” was left blank) for a total of $1,774,713; (F3) that RH infringed M-W’s common law trademark and/or trade dress rights maliciously or in wanton disregard of the rights of M-W so as to warrant an award of punitive damages; and (F4) that RH did not infringe M-W’s federal trademark and/or trade dress rights maliciously or in wanton disregard of the rights of M-W so as to warrant an award of attorney’s fees. In answer to the Counterclaim Interrogatories to Jury submitted to it, the jury answered as follows: (Al) that RH did not demonstrate that the word “Collegiate,” as applied to dictionaries, is generic; (A2) that the word “Collegiate,” as applied to dictionaries, is descriptive; (A3) that the word “Collegiate,” as applied to M-W dictionaries, has acquired secondary meaning; and (Bl) that RH demonstrated that the word “Webster’s,” as applied to dictionaries, is generic. In an additional Interrogatory to Jury, asking what amount of punitive damages, if any, it would award M-W on its claim for common law trademark and/or common law trade dress infringement, the jury stated “$500,-000.”

The Court without jury rendered a judgment against defendant on defendant’s fifth and sixth equitable affirmative defenses in the Court’s November 8,1991 decision on the record. In addition to the amounts awarded by the jury, the Court determined in its November 8,1991 decision on the record that pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 1117(a) the aforesaid award of $1,774,713 was to be doubled. In addition, the Court’s January 3, 1992 Judgment granted certain permanent injunctive relief against defendant on the basis of the jury’s answers to the Interrogatories to Jury. The January 3, 1992 Judgment therefore requires defendant to pay a total of $4,049,426 to plaintiff and to cease certain actions asso[696]*696dated with the behavior found by the jury to infringe federal and state law.

Defendant takes issue with virtually every aspect of the jury’s verdict and award and the Judgment entered thereon. The Court will deal with each argument raised in defendant’s motion and then with the two issues raised in plaintiffs motion in turn.

II.

RH argues that M-W failed to prove that the RH Dictionary’s total trade dress infringed the M-W Dictionary’s total trade dress and that the jury’s special verdict in this regard is not supported by properly admissible evidence. Specifically, RH contends that M-W sought to establish a likelihood of confusion with respect to one discrete element of the trade dress — the spine — rather than the total trade dress; that M-W failed to prove that the trade dress is likely to confuse an appreciable number of ordinary reasonable prudent purchasers — in effect that M-W failed to show that the relevant Polaroid factors weighed in its favor; and that M-W failed to prove that its trade dress acquired secondary meaning.

The Court concludes that all of these arguments regarding M-W’s trade dress claim are without merit. From RH’s voluminous brief, it appears that RH does not recognize the weight to which a jury verdict is entitled. See Martell v. Boardwalk Enterprises, Inc.,

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
815 F. Supp. 691, 26 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1161, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6312, 1993 WL 63920, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/merriam-webster-inc-v-random-house-inc-nysd-1993.