Connecticut Electric, Inc. v. Pacific Coast Breaker, Inc. et al

Plaintiff owns the  ZINSCO mark, which has been in use in connection with circuit breakers since 1974. Defendant initially bought Plaintiff’s circuits breakers for resale but then allegedly began manufacturing and selling its own counterfeit circuit breakers bearing the ZINSCO mark. Plaintiff also claims trade dress in the overall look and feel of the circuit breakers.

This case has an interesting public health component. Unlike the original ZINSCO breakers, which undergo a certification process, the knock-off breakers have not been tested (and therefore are not marked with the certification mark of a national testing lab). Let’s hope not many homes have had faulty ZINSCO breakers installed.

Court Case Number: 1:10-cv-01440-LJM-TAB
File Date: Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Plaintiff: Connecticut Electric, Inc.
Plaintiff Counsel: Douglas B. Bates of Stites & Harbison LLP, Vincent Allen of Carstens & Cahoon LLP
Defendant: Pacific Coast Breaker, Inc., PC Systems, Inc.
Cause: Trademark Counterfeiting, Trademark Infringement, Federal Trademark Dilution, Unfair Competition, False Designation of Origin & False Description, Trade Dress Infringement, Common Law Trademark Infringement, Common Law Unfair Competition, Forgery Under IC 35-43-5-2(b), Counterfeiting Under IC 35-43-5-2(a)
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Judge Larry J. McKinney
Referred To: Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker