Pure Fishing, Inc. v. Redwing Tackle, Ltd.

888 F. Supp. 2d 726, 2012 WL 3549814, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 115390
CourtDistrict Court, D. South Carolina
DecidedAugust 16, 2012
DocketC/A No. 3:10-cv-3117-JFA
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 888 F. Supp. 2d 726 (Pure Fishing, Inc. v. Redwing Tackle, Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pure Fishing, Inc. v. Redwing Tackle, Ltd., 888 F. Supp. 2d 726, 2012 WL 3549814, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 115390 (D.S.C. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER

JOSEPH F. ANDERSON, JR., District Judge.

This matter comes before the court pursuant to plaintiff Pure Fishing, Inc.’s motions for summary judgment (ECF Nos. 64 & 65). The court held a hearing on August 9, 2012, and after considering the written materials submitted and the arguments of counsel, the court grants Pure Fishing’s motions for summary judgment.

I. Factual and Procedural History

Pure Fishing, Inc., (Pure Fishing) filed the present action alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition against Redwing Tackle, Limited (Redwing). Pure Fishing alleges that it owns various trademarks as a part of the SPIDER family of marks for fishing products: SPIDER, SPIDERWIRE, SPIDERLINE, SPIDERWEB, SPIDERWIRE EZ MONO, SPIDERWIRE STEALTH, and the spider design mark. Pure Fishing obtained the marks through assignment from its predecessors. Pure Fishing and its predecessors have sold the SPIDER branded fishing products since 1993. Pure Fishing uses the SPIDERWIRE mark in connection with its fishing line products, while the various SPIDER marks are used for other fishing equipment, including fishing rods and reels. The SPIDERWIRE mark was registered on February 4, 1997. Pure Fishing’s infringement claim is limited to the SPIDERWIRE mark. The SPIDER mark — subject of Redwing’s counterclaim — as registered in 2004.

Redwing began using the SPIDER THREAD mark on its spawn tying thread1 in 1983. In 2009, Redwing filed an application to use SPIDER THREAD on elastic thread and fishing line. The United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) rejected that application in April 2009. Redwing then filed a petition to cancel Pure Fishing’s SPIDER mark before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Redwing used the SPIDER THREAD mark in connection with the sale of its fishing line in September 2010. Defendant Redwing has filed a counterclaim to cancel Pure Fishing’s SPIDER mark that parallels the claim before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and that proceeding is now suspended pending the outcome of this litigation.

Pure Fishing filed the initial complaint in this trademark infringement case on December 7, 2010. Pure Fishing now moves for summary judgment as to the [730]*730claims it asserts in the Second Amended Complaint (ECF No. 65) and for summary judgment as to Redwing’s counterclaim (ECF No. 64).

II. Legal Standard

Rule 56(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that summary judgment shall be granted when a moving party has shown that “there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” The court must determine whether the evidence presents a sufficient disagreement to require submission to a jury or whether it is so one-sided that one party must prevail as a matter of law. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 251-52, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). When evaluating a motion under Rule 56, the Court must construe all “facts and inferences to be drawn from the facts ... in the light most favorable to the non-moving party,” Miller v. Leathers, 913 F.2d 1085, 1087 (4th Cir.1990) (internal quotations omitted), and summary judgment should be granted in those cases where it is perfectly clear, that there remains no genuine dispute as to material fact and inquiry into the facts is unnecessary to clarify the application of the law. McKinney v. Bd. of Trustees of Maryland Community College, 955 F.2d 924, 928 (4th Cir.1992). In deciding a motion for summary judgment, “the judge’s function is not himself to weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249, 106 S.Ct. 2505.

III. Discussion

a. Pure Fishing’s Claims in the Second Amended Complaint

Pure Fishing’s Second Amended Complaint (ECF No. 47) asserts claims for trademark infringement and unfair trade practices under both federal law and state law.2 To prove trademark infringement and unfair competition, a plaintiff must show (1) that it owns a valid and protectable mark and (2) that defendant’s use of a similar mark creates a likelihood of confusion. George & Co., LLC v. Imagination Entm’t Ltd., 575 F.3d 383, 393 (4th Cir.2009); Petro Stopping Centers, L.P. v. James River Petroleum, Inc., 130 F.3d 88, 91 (4th Cir.1997). “[Sjummary judgment is appropriate when the material, undisputed facts disclose a likelihood of confusion.” Resorts of Pinehurst, Inc. v. Pinehurst Nat. Corp., 148 F.3d 417, 422 (4th Cir.1998). Plaintiff also asserts a claim for unjust enrichment. See Myrtle Beach Hosp., Inc. v. City of Myrtle Beach, 341 S.C. 1, 532 S.E.2d 868, 872 (2000) (requiring proof of a “(1) benefit conferred by plaintiff upon the defendant; (2) realization of that benefit by the defendant; and (3) retention of the benefit by the defendant under Circumstances that make it inequitable for him to retain it without paying its value”).

The first element of a trademark infringement claim requires Pure Fishing to own a valid and protected mark. Pure Fishing provides a detailed recitation of the registration and history of its various marks which constitutes prima facie evidence of their validity. (Defendant specifically contests the SPIDER mark, which is the subject of the counterclaim discussed below). In 2001, Fishing Spirit (a predecessor to Pure Fishing) filed a Section 8 and Section 15 declaration stating that the SPIDERWIRE mark had been in use for five consecutive years in connection with fishing line, that the mark was still in use, and that there had been no final decision adverse to its claim of ownership. See 15 U.S.C. § 1058(a)(1). That filing rendered [731]*731the mark incontestable. See 15 U.S.C. § 1065. In 2006, Pure Fishing’s predecessor renewed the SPIDERWIRE registration by filing a Combined Declaration of Use in Commerce and Application for Renewal of Registration under Sections 8 and 9 of the Lanham Act. See 15 U.S.C. §§ 1058(a)(8) & 1059. Thus, Pure Fishing has demonstrated as a matter of law that it contains a valid and protected mark.

The second element is whether there is a likelihood of confusion “in the minds of consumers about the origins of the goods or services in question.” George, 575 F.3d at 393. In the Fourth Circuit, courts look at nine non-exclusive factors under this analysis:

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Bluebook (online)
888 F. Supp. 2d 726, 2012 WL 3549814, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 115390, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pure-fishing-inc-v-redwing-tackle-ltd-scd-2012.