Pillsbury Co. v. Southard

682 F. Supp. 497
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Oklahoma
DecidedApril 6, 1987
Docket85-144-C
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 682 F. Supp. 497 (Pillsbury Co. v. Southard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pillsbury Co. v. Southard, 682 F. Supp. 497 (E.D. Okla. 1987).

Opinion

ORDER OF PERMANENT INJUNCTION

SEAY, Chief Judge.

This matter was heard by a jury on April 18, 21, 22, and 23, 1986, in proceedings in which all parties appeared and were represented by counsel. On April 23, 1986, the matter of liability was submitted to the jury through seven special interrogatories and the jury returned its verdict favorable to plaintiff on those special interrogatories.

The court concludes from its review of the evidence and from the jury verdict that the plaintiff is entitled to a permanent injunction relating to defendants' use of the mark Hungry Jack’s and confusingly similar marks for restaurant services. The court also concludes that further consideration should be given as to whether an accounting of defendants’ profits should be awarded and whether attorney fees should be awarded to plaintiff in the present case.

It is, therefore, ordered by this court that:

(1) The use by the defendants, Jack Southard, Linda Thomas and Michael White, of the mark Hungry Jack’s for restaurant services:

(a) constitutes federal trademark infringement of plaintiff’s rights in its federally registered mark Hungry Jack under 15 U.S.C. § 1114(1);
(b) constitutes a false designation of origin and/or false description or representation of defendants’ services under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a);
(c) constitutes trademark infringement of plaintiff's common law rights in its mark Hungry Jack under the common law of the State of Oklahoma; and
(d) constitutes a deceptive trade practice under the Oklahoma Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Okla.Stat. 78 § 45 et seq.;

*499 (2) The use by the defendant Jack South-ard of the mark Hungry Jack’s for restaurant services was an intentional violation of plaintiffs rights, and the defendant Jack Southard has been unjustly enriched from such use;

(3) Defendants Jack Southard, Linda Thomas and Michael White, together with each of their agents, servants, employees, attorneys, successors and assigns, and all of those in active concert with any of them, are permanently enjoined from:

(a) using the name or mark Hungry Jack or Hungry Jack’s, or any other name or mark confusingly similar to Hungry Jack or Hungry Jack’s, alone or in combination with other words or designs, as part of any trademark, service mark, trade name, corporate name, assumed name, or any other trade designation in connection with the sale or offering of food products or restaurant services within the United States; and
(b) performing or committing any other acts calculated or likely to cause confusion or mistake in the mind of the public, or to lead consumers to believe that any of the defendants’ services come from or are associated with the goods or services of plaintiff, or are somehow sponsored or connected with plaintiff, or that there is some connection between plaintiff and any of the defendants, or from otherwise unfairly competing with plaintiff and from committing any other acts which disparage or destroy the public’s recognition of Hungry Jack as a mark of plaintiff;

(4) Each defendant shall file with this court within thirty (30) days after entry of this order of permanent injunction, a written statement under oath setting forth in detail the manner in which the respective defendant has complied with this order;

(5) The parties are directed to file within thirty (30) days after the entry of this order their arguments in the form of briefs concerning whether the court should award plaintiff an accounting of defendants’ profits;

(6) Plaintiff is directed to file within ten (10) days after the entry of this order any request for attorney fees which it may have, setting forth any authority and all other information which it wishes the court to consider in determining whether such fees should be awarded and, if so, the amount of such fees. Defendant, Jack Southard, may file objections thereto within ten (10) days thereafter, setting forth specific objections thereto and any matters he wishes the court to consider. The above periods of time may be extended upon application to the court and a showing of good cause for such extension.

(7) Pursuant to the provisions of 15 U.S. C. §§ 1116 and 1119, the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks is directed to refuse registration of the mark Hungry Jack’s and design as applied for by defendant Jack Southard, Application Serial No. 468,354, and to sustain the opposition of The Pillsbury Company to such registration as set forth in Opposition No. 70,975;

(8) Plaintiff is awarded its costs in this matter; taxation of costs shall be pursuant to Local Rule 6(e).

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF DEFENDANT SOUTHARD’S PROFITS FROM INFRINGEMENT

On October 30, 1986, a hearing was held on plaintiff’s motion for accounting of defendant Southard’s profits, pursuant to this court’s order of May 2, 1986, for the purpose of determining defendant’s profits and whether to award such profits, if any, to plaintiff in light of the jury’s verdict herein.

Section 35 of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1117, provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

When a violation of any right of the registrant of a mark registered in the Patent and Trademark Office shall have been established in any civil action arising under this chapter, the plaintiff shall be entitled, ... subject to the principles of equity, to recover (1) defendant’s profits, (2) any damages sustained by the plaintiff, and (3) the costs of the action. The court shall assess such profits and damages or cause the same to be as *500 sessed under its direction. In assessing profits the plaintiff shall be required to prove defendant’s sales only; defendant must prove all elements of cost or deduction claimed.... If the court shall find that the amount of the recovery based on profits is either inadequate or excessive the court may in its discretion enter judgment for such sum as the court shall find to be just, according to the circumstances of the case. Such sum ... shall constitute compensation and not a penalty.

Where a trademark infringer unjustly profits from the illegal use of another’s trademark, this law provides for an accounting and award of unjust profits, as compensation, to prevent the unjust enrichment of a trademark infringer. Monsanto Chemical Company v. Perfect Fit Manufacturing Co., Inc., 349 F.2d 389 (2d Cir.1965), ce rt. denied, 383 U.S. 942, 86 S.Ct. 1195, 16 L.Ed.2d 206 (1966); Maltina Corporation v. Cawy Bottling Co., Inc.,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
682 F. Supp. 497, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pillsbury-co-v-southard-oked-1987.