158 F. Supp. 3d 668
N.D. Ohio2016Background
- Zinganything LLC (Ohio) owns U.S. Patent No. 8,613,402 ("402 patent"), registered trademarks (including ZINGER and CITRUS ZINGER), and a copyright in website content; it markets the Citrus Zinger product.
- Marzotti, Inc., a Pennsylvania Amazon seller, was served but did not respond; clerk entered default against Marzotti.
- Complaint alleges Marzotti sold/imported counterfeit Citrus Zinger bottles (Chinese-made), used Zinganything’s copyrighted product photos and trademarks, and induced patent infringement by offering infringing products to dealers.
- Claims asserted: patent infringement (35 U.S.C. § 271), copyright infringement (17 U.S.C. § 501), trafficking in counterfeit labels (18 U.S.C. § 2318), trademark infringement and counterfeiting (15 U.S.C. § 1114), Lanham Act unfair competition (15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)), and Ohio unfair competition law.
- Court accepted well-pleaded factual allegations as true for liability because of default, found liability established on patent, trademark/counterfeiting, copyright, and unfair competition claims.
- Plaintiff sought $25,000 in damages without transactional/sales evidence; the court declined to award damages as unsupported and denied damages without prejudice, ordering plaintiff to state whether it will pursue damages and propose a schedule.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patent infringement (35 U.S.C. § 271) | Marzotti made, used, sold, offered for sale, and imported products that practice the 402 patent and induced infringement | No responsive pleading (default) | Liability found for patent infringement and inducement; default judgment on liability granted |
| Trademark infringement and counterfeiting (15 U.S.C. § 1114) | Marzotti used identical/near-identical registered marks in commerce on counterfeit goods, causing consumer confusion and intentionally using counterfeit marks | No responsive pleading (default) | Liability found for trademark infringement and counterfeiting; default judgment on liability granted |
| Copyright infringement (17 U.S.C. § 106) | Marzotti displayed and used Zinganything’s copyrighted website images to advertise/sell counterfeit products | No responsive pleading (default) | Liability found for copyright infringement; default judgment on liability granted |
| Damages for statutory claims | Requests $25,000 in damages as a reasonable sum though lacks sales/financial proof | No responsive pleading (default) | Damages denied without prejudice as speculative and unsupported; plaintiff ordered to advise by deadline whether it will pursue damages and propose schedule |
Key Cases Cited
- Ford Motor Co. v. Cross, 441 F. Supp. 2d 837 (E.D. Mich.) (defaulted defendant deemed to have admitted well-pleaded factual allegations)
- Visioneering Constr. v. U.S. Fid. & Guar., 661 F.2d 119 (6th Cir.) (effect of default on factual allegations)
- Audi AG v. D'Amato, 469 F.3d 534 (6th Cir.) (likelihood-of-confusion test for Lanham Act claims)
- Feist Publ'ns, Inc. v. Rural Tel. Serv. Co., 499 U.S. 340 (U.S.) (copyright ownership and originality requirement)
- Stromback v. New Line Cinema, 384 F.3d 283 (6th Cir.) (copyright infringement standard)
- Daddy's Junky Music Stores, Inc. v. Big Daddy's Family Music Ctr., 109 F.3d 275 (6th Cir.) (likelihood of confusion as touchstone for trademark liability)
- Two Pesos, Inc. v. Taco Cabana, Inc., 505 U.S. 763 (U.S.) (trade dress/trademark confusion analysis)
- Microsoft Corp. v. McGee, 490 F. Supp. 2d 874 (S.D. Ohio) (Ohio unfair competition claim analyzed like Lanham Act claim)