Category Archives: Indiana

Indiana Trade Secret Litigation Update – Forest River Inc. v. Heartland Recreational Vehicles LLC

05 Tuesday Oct 2010

Posted by in Indiana, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Northern District of Indiana, Trade Secret

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Forest River Inc. v. Heartland Recreational Vehicles LLC

This lawsuit is the fourth pending matter between these parties. The lawsuit revolves around the alleged theft of a company’s full client/contact list. High-tech computer espionage? No. The “sales person then contacted a personal friend of his who was a sales employee at [Plaintiff] and asked that sales employee to get him a copy of the Master List.” D’oh.

Companies, do you have a trade secret policy and the proper mechanisms in place to protect your valuable, confidential information? If not, I can tell you it costs a lot less than a trade secret lawsuit.

Court Case Number: 3:10-cv-00409-JED-CAN
File Date: Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Plaintiff: Forest River Inc.
Plaintiff Counsel: Ryan M. Fountain of Law Offices of Ryan M. Fountain
Defendant: Heartland Recreational Vehicles LLC
Cause: Computer Fraud and Abuse, Unfair Competition, Tortious Interference, Conspiracy to Commit Criminal Mischief, Trademark Infringement
Court: Northern District of Indiana
Judge: Judge Jon E. DeGuilio
Referred To: Magistrate Judge Christopher A. Nuechterlein

Indiana Trademark Litigation Update – Coach, Inc. v. TJ’s Handbags

28 Tuesday Sep 2010

Posted by in Indiana, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana, Trademark

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Coach, Inc. et al v. TJ’s Handbags

Coach makes handbags, wallets, etc. Defendant is accused of selling knockoffs from a retail store in Scottsburg, Indiana. As you can see from the claims below, Coach has decided to throw the kitchen sink at Defendant.

Related case: Coach, Inc. et al v. Diggz Clothing LLC et al

Related case: Coach, Inc. et al v. Designer Fragrance & Gifts et al

Related case: Coach Inc. v. Tom’s Treasure Chest

Leave a comment if you’d like a full copy of the complaint.

Court Case Number: 4:10-cv-00111-TWP-WGH
File Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Plaintiff: Coach, Inc., Coach Services, Inc.
Plaintiff Counsel: Alejandro Valle of Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP
Defendant: TJ’s Handbags & More, Teresa A. Jewell
Cause: Trademark Counterfeiting, Trademark Infringement, Trade Dress Infringement, False Designation of Origin and False Advertising, Trademark Dilution, Copyright Infringement, Common Law Trademark Infringement, Common Law Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Judge Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Magistrate Judge William G. Hussmann, Jr.

Indiana Trademark Litigation Update – Coach, Inc. v. Designer Fragrance

27 Monday Sep 2010

Posted by in Indiana, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana, Trademark

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Coach, Inc. et al v. Designer Fragrance & Gifts et al

Coach makes handbags, wallets, etc. . Defendant is accused of selling knockoffs from a retail store in Jeffersonville, Indiana. As you can see from the claims below, Coach has decided to throw the kitchen sink at Defendant.

Leave a comment for a full copy of the complaint.

Related case: Coach, Inc. et al v. Diggz Clothing LLC et al

Related case: Coach, Inc. et al v. TJ’s Handbags

Related case: Coach Inc. et al v. Tom’s Treasure Chest

Court Case Number: 4:10-cv-00112-TWP-WGH
File Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Plaintiff: Coach, Inc., Coach Services, Inc.
Plaintiff Counsel: Alejandro Valle of Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP
Defendant: Designer Fragrance & Gifts, Loretta M. Beckner
Cause: Trademark Counterfeiting, Trademark Infringement, Trade Dress Infringement, False Designation of Origin and False Advertising, Trademark Dilution, Copyright Infringement, Common Law Trademark Infringement, Common Law Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Judge Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Magistrate Judge William G. Hussmann, Jr

Indiana Trademark Litigation Update – JB Custom Inc. v. Amadeo Rossi SA et al

26 Sunday Sep 2010

Posted by in Indiana, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Northern District of Indiana, Trademark

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JB Custom Inc. v. Amadeo Rossi SA et al

Plaintiff is a custom firearms manufacturer. Defendants allegedly sells firearms similar to those of Plaintiff in violation of trademark laws and in breach of an Exclusivity Agreement.

For more, see the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

Court Case Number: 1:10-cv-00326-PPS -RBC
File Date: Monday, September 20, 2010
Plaintiff: JB Custom Inc.
Plaintiff Counsel: Jeremy N. Gayed of Barrett & McNagny LLP
Defendants: Amadeo Rossi SA, Forjas Taurus SA, Taurus International Manufacturing Inc., Braztech International LC
Cause: Breach of Contract, Trademark Infringement, False Designation of Origin, Passing Off, False Advertising, Unfair Competition
Court: Northern District of Indiana
Judge: Chief Judge Philip P. Simon
Referred To: Magistrate Judge Roger B. Cosbey

Indiana scientist accused of stealing trade secrets

20 Monday Sep 2010

Posted by in Indiana, Indianapolis, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Trade Secret

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Companies, are you protecting your valuable trade secrets? When was the last time you revisited your trade secret policy? A cautionary tale…Indianapolis-based Dow AgroSciences was recently the victim of an alleged “patient and calculated” plan to “drain” the company of technology that took 20 years to develop.

A former Indiana scientist accused of illegally sending trade secrets worth $300 million to China and Germany was ordered detained Tuesday on rare charges of economic espionage.

A federal indictment unsealed in Indianapolis alleges that 45-year-old Kexue Huang, who was born in China, passed on proprietary information about the development of organic pesticides to Hunan Normal University while he worked as a researcher for Dow AgroSciences in Indiana from 2003 to 2008.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Ridgeway said Huang, a Canadian citizen with permanent U.S. resident status, used a “patient and calculated” plan to “drain” the Indianapolis-based company of technology that took 20 years to develop.

The indictment alleges that Huang published a paper in China about the organic pesticides and also directed students at Hunan Normal in further research.

Source: Associated Press (August 31, 2010)

For more information on protecting your valuable trade secrets: Creating a Trade Secret Policy