Category Archives: Southern District of Indiana

Indiana Trademark Litigation Update – Brian Andr’e Warren v. Xlibris Corporation

23 Friday Jul 2010

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Brian Andr’e Warren v. Xlibris Corporation

A prisoner sought to proceed pro se in a copyright action but couldn’t pay his filing fees. The prisoner attempted to proceed in forma pauperis, but was denied by the Court.  Apparently, the plaintiff had brought over three bad lawsuits in the past and thus lost his entitlement to proceed in forma pauperis. This action was filed on July 6 and closed on July 16 without prejudice.

“In forma pauperis” refers to a motion filed by a low-income person in order to proceed in court without having to pay court costs, usually filing fees. It doesn’t usually cover other costs, such as those involved in discovery (depositions, witness fees, court reporters, etc.) and service of process.

Here’s the language of the Court’s Order on Motion for Leave to Proceed in forma pauperis:

The plaintiff’s complaint in this action is accompanied by his request to proceed in forma pauperis. The plaintiff has acquired three or more “strikes” through having litigation to which he was a party in a federal court dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted or as frivolous. Therefore, he is not entitled to proceed in forma pauperis, unless the exception under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g), that he “is under imminent danger of serious physical injury,” applies. Those circumstances are not presented by this complaint based on copyright infringement.

The circumstances of this case trigger the rule of Sloan v. Lesza, 181 F.3d 857, 859 (7th Cir. 1999), which states:

An effort to bamboozle the court by seeking permission to proceed in forma pauperis after a federal judge has held that §1915(g) applies to a particular litigant will lead to immediate termination of the suit.

Accordingly, the plaintiff’s application to proceed in forma pauperis is denied and this action is dismissed without prejudice.

For a full copy of the Complaint or Order, please leave a comment.

Court Case Number: 1:10-cv-00885-WTL -TAB
File Date: Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Plaintiff: Brian Andr’e Warren
Plaintiff Counsel: Brian Andr’e Warren – Pro Se
Defendant: Xlibris Corporation
Cause: Trademark Infringement (Lanham Act)
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Judge William T. Lawrence
Referred To: Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker

Indiana Trademark Litigation Update – Brandt Industries v. Pitonyak Machinery Corporation

14 Wednesday Jul 2010

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

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Brandt Industries v. Pitonyak Machinery Corporation

This is a declaratory judgment action by Plaintiff for the unregistered BRANDT mark. Both parties have used the mark for many decades in different locations. Plaintiff is a Canadian company operating in the U.S. Leave a comment for a full copy of the complaint.

Court Case Number: 1:10-cv-00857-TWP -DML
File Date: Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Plaintiff: Brandt Industries Ltd.
Plaintiff Counsel: Carrie A. Shufflebarger of Thompson Hine LLP
Defendant Counsel: Aaron M. Staser, Paul B. Hunt
Defendant: Pitonyak Machinery Corporation
Cause: Declaration of Non-Infringement, Declaration of Priority, Declaration of Estoppel by Laches, Trademark Infringement, Unfair Competition and False Designation of Origin
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Judge Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Magistrate Judge Debra McVicker Lynch

Indiana Copyright Litigation Update – Interactive Intelligence v. Advanced Information Systems

12 Monday Jul 2010

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

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Interactive Intelligence v. Advanced Information Systems

Defendant was a reseller of Plaintiff’s telephony software. After an alleged breach of contract, Defendant continued to use Plaintiff’s copyrighted software and trademarks. Please leave a comment if you’d like a full copy of the complaint.

Court Case Number: 1:10-cv-00842-TWP -TAB
File Date: Thursday, July 01, 2010
Plaintiff: Interactive Intelligence, Inc.
Plaintiff Counsel: Constance R. Lindman, Tami L. Napier of Overhauser & Lindman LLC
Defendant: Advanced Information Systems, Inc.
Cause: Breach of Contract, Federal Trademark Infringement, Federal Unfair Competition, Copyright Infringement
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Judge Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker

Indiana Trademark Litigation Update – Allison Transmission v. Harlan Global Manufacturing

01 Thursday Jul 2010

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

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The complaint alleges that Harlan Global is putting old Allison transmissions into new tractors and selling the tractors around the world as having new components.  Harlan’s advertisements allegedly do not inform the purchasing public that the tractors manufactured and sold by Harlan include previously used components obtained from a source other than the original manufacturer (Allison) or an authorized remanufacturer. Allison has received complaints from consumers.

Allison Transmission, Inc. v. Harlan Global Manufacturing LLC

Court Case Number: 1:10-cv-00789-SEB-TAB
File Date: Monday, June 21, 2010
Plaintiff: Allison Transmission, Inc.
Plaintiff Counsel: Mary J. Frisby of Barnes & Thornburg
Defendant: Harlan Global Manufacturing LLC
Cause: Federal Trademark Infringement Under The Lanham Act, False Designation of Origin/False Advertising Under the Lanham Act, Counterfeiting Under the Lanham Act, Dilution, Unfair Competition Under Indiana Common Law, Common Law Trademark Infringement
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Judge Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker

Hon. Tanya Walton Pratt sworn in as District Judge for Southern District of Indiana

29 Tuesday Jun 2010

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PRESS RELEASE

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is pleased to announce that on June 25, 2010, the Honorable Tanya Walton Pratt took the oath to become a United States District Judge. Chief Judge Richard L. Young administered the oath at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Indianapolis. Judge Pratt’s family, friends, and numerous court staff filled the courtroom to witness the historic event.

Judge Pratt is the first African-American to be appointed to the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and the first African-American federal judge in the state of Indiana. President Obama nominated Judge Pratt on January 20, 2010, and the Senate, by a vote of 95-0, confirmed her on June 15, 2010. President Obama signed her commission the same day. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge David F. Hamilton to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

From 2008 until her appointment to the District Court, Judge Pratt served as a judge in the probate division of the Marion Superior Court. From 1997 to 2008, she was a judge in that court’s criminal division, where she handled major felony cases.

Before becoming a Superior Court judge, she was active in private practice with the firm of Walton & Pratt, focusing primarily on family law, bankruptcy, and probate law. Judge Pratt was also a contract county public defender during her years of private practice.

Judge Pratt is active in the Indianapolis and Marion County bar associations and in 2005 was Chief Justice Randall Shepard’s appointee on the Indiana Sentencing Policy Study Commission. She was a member of the Marion Superior Court’s Executive Committee and Chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday Commission in Indiana from 2001 to 2007.

Judge Pratt received her B. A. from Spelman College in 1981 and her J. D. from Howard University School of Law in 1984.

Welcome Judge Pratt!