PlayVision Labs, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc.
Filing
41
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS COUNTERFEIT CLAIM. Signed by Judge Charles R. Breyer on 5/18/2015. (crblc1, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 5/18/2015)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
9
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
10
11
PLAYVISION LABS, INC.,
Plaintiff,
12
13
14
No. C14-05365 CRB
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO
DISMISS COUNTERFEIT CLAIM
v.
NINTENDO OF AMERICA, INC.,
Defendant.
15
/
16
17
Defendant Nintendo of America, Inc. has moved to dismiss Count 1 of Plaintiff
18
Playvision Labs, Inc.’s Complaint, to the extent that it asserts a claim for trademark
19
counterfeiting.1 See generally Mot. (dkt. 17). The Court finds this matter suitable for
20
resolution without oral argument, pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7-1(b), VACATES the
21
hearing currently set for May 22, 2015, and GRANTS the Motion.
22
Under the Lanham Act, a “counterfeit” is defined as “a spurious mark which is
23
identical with, or substantially indistinguishable from, a registered mark.” 15 U.S.C. § 1127.
24
The Complaint alleges that “Defendant’s use of Plaintiff’s Mark and a name that is virtually
25
identical to Plaintiff’s mark to promote, market, or sell computer software in the same
26
channel of commerce in which Plaintiff operates constitutes trade mark infringement
27
28
1
Count 1, for “Trademark Infringement,” is devoid of any explicit allegations of counterfeiting,
but it seeks statutory damages under 15 U.S.C. § 1117(c), treble damages under 15 U.S.C. § 1117(b),
and enhanced damages under 15 U.S.C. § 1117(c)—relief only triggered when there is use of a
counterfeit mark. See Complaint (dkt. 1) ¶ 26.
1
pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 1114.” Compl. ¶ 25. Those allegations are insufficient—“virtually
2
identical” is not the same as “identical with, or substantially indistinguishable from”—and
3
conclusory. See Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v.
4
Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 557 (2007)) (“pleading that offers ‘labels and conclusions’ or
5
‘a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.’ Nor does a complaint
6
suffice if it tenders ‘naked assertion[s]’ devoid of ‘further factual enhancement.’”).
7
Moreover, comparing Defendant’s packaging and Plaintiff’s packaging, Defendant’s “Wii
8
Play Motion” name differs from the “playmotion!” name by using, among other things: (1)
9
three different colors, rather than one color; (2) three separate words, with each word
United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
10
capitalized, rather than one single, combined word; (3) an entirely different word (“Wii”) at
11
the beginning of the mark; (4) capital and lower case lettering, rather than all lower case
12
lettering; (5) the word “Motion” on a separate line from, and in a different size than, the
13
words “Wii Play”; and (6) no punctuation at the end of the mark, rather than an exclamation
14
point. Compare Compl. ¶ 14 with RJN (dkt. 18 Ex. 1)2; see also Mot. at 2 (comparing both
15
products side by side). Plaintiff therefore cannot plausibly allege that the two marks are
16
identical or substantially indistinguishable. See, e.g., Emeco Indus., Inc. v. Restoration
17
Hardware, Inc., No. 12-5072 MMC, 2012 WL 6087329, at *1 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 6, 2012)
18
(“1940s Naval Chair” and “Introducing 1940S Naval Chair Collection” not identical or
19
substantially indistinguishable from “The Navy Chair” or “111 Navy Chair”); see also
20
Colgate-Palmolive Co. v. J.M.D. All-Star Import & Export, 486 F. Supp. 2d 286, 288, 290-
21
91 (S.D.N.Y. 2007) (“Colddate” toothpaste not identical or substantially indistinguishable
22
from “Colgate” toothpaste).
23
For the foregoing reasons, Court DISMISSES WITH PREJUDICE Count 1 of
24
Plaintiff Playvision Labs, Inc.’s Complaint, to the extent that it asserts a claim for trademark
25
2
26
27
28
The Court grants Defendant’s Request for Judicial Notice. As a general rule, a court may not
consider any materials outside of the pleadings when ruling on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion except for: (1)
materials referenced in the Complaint that are “central” to the claims; or (2) matters of public record not
subject to reasonable dispute. Fed. R. Evid. 201; Lee v. City of Los Angeles, 250 F.3d 668, 688 (9th
Cir. 2001). USPTO documents are public records “capable of accurate and ready determination by
resort to sources whose accuracy cannot be questioned.” See Seoul Laser Dieboard Sys. Co., Ltd. v.
Serviform, S.r.l., 957 F. Supp. 2d 1189, 1194 n.2. (S.D. Cal. 2013).
2
1
2
counterfeiting.3
IT IS SO ORDERED.
3
4
Dated: May 18, 2015
CHARLES R. BREYER
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
5
6
7
8
9
United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
3
The Court does not reach Defendant’s argument about whether the marks are used on the “exact
same goods.” See Mot. at 9-11.
3
Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.
Why Is My Information Online?