Category Archives: Northern District of Indiana

Mid-February Indiana IP Litigation Update

18 Thursday Feb 2021

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

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Here are some quick updates on the IP litigation filed in Indiana so far in 2021. The amount of filings are still far below pre-pandemic numbers, but there are a few interesting cases to follow.

Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. v. Sullivan (SD, 1/18/2021) – The parties have agreed to a 28-day extension (until March 10, 2021) for Defendant to respond. This is often an indication that settlement talks are taking place.

Schnebelt v. Anglotopia, LLC (ND, filed 1/18/2021) – The Defendant filed an Answer as pro se on 2/11/2021, but the Answer was struck by the Court one day later, as limited liability companies (which the Defendant is) must be represented by counsel.

Noble Romans, Inc. v. Gateway Triangle Corp. et al. (SD, filed 2/5/2021) – Plaintiff’s counsel filed their Appearances on 2/11/2021, nothing else to report

Heartland Consumer Products LLC v. Speedway, LLC (SD, filed 2/5/2021) – No update yet

Indianapolis Bouldering, LLC v. BP Holdings Co. LLC et al. (SD, filed 2/11/2021) – No update yet

Liebowitz files Photography Lawsuit in Northern District of Indiana

20 Wednesday Jan 2021

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

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Famous (infamous) plaintiff’s lawyer Richard Liebowitz has filed another copyright lawsuit in Indiana over the unauthorized use of a photograph of Murlough Bay in Northern Ireland. The photograph has been removed from the Defendant’s website, http://www.anglotopia.net, but the Defendant was apparently not willing to meet Liebowitz’s customary settlement demands and thus a lawsuit was filed.

With a Complaint filed, it’s usual for the Defendant in these cases to weigh the costs/benefits of proceeding and likely choose to settle for a slightly higher amount than pre-Complaint. However, we’ll keep a close eye on this lawsuit to see whether Defendant has a viable defense strategy or whether they are just biding time until the eventual settlement.

Murlough Bay, Northern Ireland

Scnhebelt v. Anglotopia, LLC

Court Case Number: 3:21-cv-00040-JD-MGG
File Date: January 18, 2021
Plaintiff: Stefan Schnebelt
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard Liebowitz of Liebowitz Law Firm, PLLC
Defendant: Anglotopia, LLC
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Integrity of Copyright Management Information
Court: Northern District of Indiana
Judge: Jon E. DeGuilio
Referred To: Michael G Gotsch, Sr.

Complaint:

Copyright Lawsuit filed over Photograph of a Leaf in Water

09 Wednesday Oct 2019

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

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The Defendant in this copyright infringement lawsuit is alleged to have used Plaintiff’s photograph of “a leaf in water” without authorization. The Plaintiff is a German professional photographer and the Defendant is a corporation based in Elkhart, Indiana.

Stay tuned for updates.

Steeger v. Good Living Enterprises Inc.

Court Case Number: 3:19-cv-00877-PPS-MGG
File Date: October 5, 2019
Plaintiff: Paul Steiger
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard P. Liebowitz of Liebowitz Law Firm, PLLC
Defendant: Good Living Enterprises Inc.
Cause: Copyright Infringement
Court: Northern District of Indiana
Judge: Philip P. Simon
Referred To: Michael G. Gotsch, Sr.

Complaint:

Three Floyds Brewing sues Floyd’s Spiked Beverages for Trademark Infringement

26 Thursday Sep 2019

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

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Three Floyds Brewing is one of Indiana’s longest operating breweries, selling nationally-recognized delicious beers under the trademark THREE FLOYDS since 1996.

In 2018, the defendant Floyd’s Spiked Beverages began selling Spiked Lemonade and Spiked Ice Tea under the FLOYD’S trademark. The Defendants’ apparently lower quality beverages are sold within 20 miles of the Three Floyds brewery in Munster, Indiana. The Defendants also sell their product via a website at DrinkFloyds.com.

Three Floyds is already opposing one of Floyd’s trademark applications that claims “Alcoholic beverages, except beer.” The USPTO has refused Floyd’s other trademark application for “Beer-based coolers” based on a likelihood of confusion with Three Floyds’ registered trademarks.

The Complaint (below) spotlights several poor consumer reviews of the Defendants’ spiked beverages, but doesn’t mention any instances of actual consumer confusion.

Stay tuned for updates.

Three Floyds Brewing LLC v. Floyd’s Spiked Beverages LLC et al.

Court Case Number:  2:19-cv-00363
File Date: Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Plaintiff: Three Floyds Brewing LLC
Plaintiff Counsel: Glenn A. Rice, Esq., Carter S. Plotkin, Esq. of Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn Ltd.
Defendant: Floyd’s Spiked Beverages LLC, Lawrence Trachtenbroit
Cause: Federal Trademark Infringement, Federal False Designation of Origin, Federal Unfair Competition, Common Law Trademark Infringement, Common Law Unfair Competition
Court: Northern District of Indiana
Judge: TBD

Complaint: 

Copyright Lawsuit filed over Boat Graphics

05 Thursday Sep 2019

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

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In this copyright lawsuit from the Northern District of Indiana, a custom airbrushing company is suing a graphic design company for unauthorized use of two designs.

The Plaintiff’s designs are applied to boats, recreational  vehicles, airplanes, automobiles, and helicopters.

Defendant is alleged to have applied the infringing designs on boats and motors for sale to a customer.

The Art of Design, Inc. v. Sharpline Converting, Inc.

Court Case Number: 3:19-cv-00702-JD-MGG
File Date: Friday, August 30, 2019
Plaintiff: The Art of Design, Inc.
Plaintiff Counsel: John D. LaDue, Sean J. Quinn of SouthBank Legal: LaDue | Curran | Kuehn
Defendant: Sharpline Converting, Inc.
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Inducing Copyright Infringement
Court: Northern District of Indiana
Judge: Jon E. DeGuilio
Referred To: Michael G. Gotsch, Sr.

Complaint: