Insurance Coverage for Trademark Claims under CGL Policy in Minnesota

The Minnesota Supreme Court: “We are persuaded by the reasoning of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the trend of other courts in concluding that trademark infringement falls within the plain and ordinary meaning of ‘infringement of title.’” [Editorial aside: isn't "plain and ordinary meaning of 'infringement of title'" either a paradox or an oxymoron?] The Court also found coverage under the insurer’s Commercial Umbr… Continue reading

Battle of the Bubbly: Cristal v. Cristalino

A trademark fight that celebrates its third birthday in the U.S. District Court, D. Minn., in less than two weeks, is set for court trial on February 8. Louis Roederer’s Cristal-brand champagne sells for over $150/bottle. Defendant’s Cristalino “Brut Cava” (not champagne, the defendant will no doubt stress) is less than $10/bottle. U.S. Judge Joan Erickson will decide (assuming no settlement before trial) whether Cri… Continue reading

Fair Isaac Post-Judgment Ruling: Could’ve Been Worse But That’s Not Saying Much

…he jury trial part of the case and fared no better at the bench trial and now, Judge Montgomery has ruled on the parties’ post-judgment motions.   The jury found that Fair Isaac had perpetrated a fraud on the Patent and Trademark Office.   Judge Montgomery found that this jury’s decision was supported by evidence. Fair Isaac challenged the Court’s rulings on “licensee estoppel” and several other of her trademark law-… Continue reading

Bubbly Battle: Preliminary Skirmish (Motions in Limine) Seem To Give Edge to Plaintiff Roederer (Cristal)

Previously covered here (including Roederer Trial Brief), the bell for Round #1 has rung in this intoxicating clash between top-of-the-line Cristal Champagne and bargain-basket Cristalino cava sparkling wine in a trademark fight filed in January, 2006 — a bench trial before U.S. District Court Judge Joan N. Ericksen that started earlier this week. “Motions in limine,” which literally means, “motions on the threshold,̶… Continue reading

Schedin v. Johnson & Johnson, et al. Heading to The 12-Person Jury

…s of the drug, an antibiotic. Levaquin included a warning but sometime after Schedin’s incident, the warning was changed and made more prominent (made into a “black box” warning in 2008).  Subsequent warning label changes would be a classic “subsequent remedial measure” inadmissible at trial if it were not for the fact that the label change was mandated by the FDA, U.S. District Court Judge John R. Tunheim has held. … Continue reading

The Simple Claim of a Harmful Side Effect/The Complexity of Federal Preemption of State Law Claims

The interesting fact pattern that gives rise to the problem in this case is what are the duties of a generic drug manufacturer if, after a drug’s initial federal approval (and approval (and then mandated use) of a specific warning label), new information comes to light about potentially harmful side effects?  Can a claim be brought against the manufacturer under state law for failure to warn? Gloria Mensing took a medicine, MCP, a gene… Continue reading

Appellate Standard of Review: “We Don’t Like What Happened Here….”

The only word that comes to mind to capture the long fight between Louis E. Kemp, Superior Seafoods, its lawyers, and Tyson Foods is “clusterf**k.”  Over the years, the dispute was litigated in California, in Minnesota state court, in Minnesota federal court, involves a concurrent lawsuit for legal malpractice against Plaintiff Kemp counsel, at least one bankruptcy (Tyson), several sales and assignments, trademark infringement claims… Continue reading

Fair Isaac: Now it is on to the appeal….

…t destruction), the jury returned a defense verdict (below is the completed (and redacted) verdict form). The jury also reportedly found that Fair Isaac knowingly made a false representation of fact when applying for its trademark of it 300-850 scoring range. (The consequences of this are outside my area of practice and outside the subject matter of this blog but this is an area apparently recently addressed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for… Continue reading

Who's Your Patty???

…nd all local television news outlets), McDonald’s appears not to be the first restaurant to come up with idea of associating this phrase with its hamburger patties. The Lion’s Tap, in Eden Prairie, has brought a trademark suit in U.S. District Court, D. Minn., against the fast-food giant. (Lion’s Tap counsel has expressly invoked the David vs. Goliath in the complaint and has otherwise adopted a somewhat light-hearted tone no… Continue reading

Levaquin Trial Begins Monday, November 15 Before U.S. District Court Judge Tunheim (D. Minn.)

…n that would have negatively affected levofloxacin sales in both Europe and the United States.  Over the past decade, there appears to have been increased concern about these medications and the communication of risk on their labels.  The label warnings have been increasingly emphatic.  Plaintiffs’ theories seem to be, in a nutshell, that the drug companies knew of the medicine’s risks and have steadfastly tried to understate or de-em… Continue reading

Several Hundred Dollars To Treat Your Trees Followed By Dead Trees?

…njection regimen for a treasured oak or multiple oaks on your property to prevent oak wilt disease, only to have your tree die from oak wilt notwithstanding the hundreds of dollars (or more) spent on flare root injection? One label on branded propiconazole says,  “Preventive application is more effective than therapeutic treatment.”  Some companies that “administer” the flare root injections do so with a guaranty or warran… Continue reading

Alamo® (propiconazole) to “Prevent” Fatal Oak Wilt Infection? Really??

Were you sold a flare root injection regimen for a treasured oak or multiple oaks on your property to prevent oak wilt disease, only to have your tree die from oak wilt notwithstanding the hundreds of dollars (or more) spent on flare root injection? One label on branded propiconazole says,  “Preventive application is more effective than therapeutic treatment.”  Some companies that “administer” the flare root injections d… Continue reading