Legal Opinion
Groeneveld Transport Efficiency, Inc. v. Lubecore International, Inc.
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Decided September 12, 2013No. 12-3545, 12-3576PublishedCited by 49 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtGilman, J., joined by Griffin, J.,
WHITE, J. (pp. 521-37), delivered a separate dissenting opinion.
OPINION
RONALD LEE GILMAN, Circuit Judge.
The key issue in this case is whether a company can use trade-dress law to protect its functional product design from competition with a “copycat” design made by another company where there is no reasonable likelihood that consumers would confuse the two companies’ products as emanating from a single source. We hold that it cannot. In so holding, we reaffirm that trademark law is designed to promote brand recognition, not to insulate product manufacturers from lawful competition.
Groeneveld…
2Cases cited30 opinions
- Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1986
- Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, Administratrix of the Estate of CatrettSupreme Court of the United States · 1986
- Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 2000
- Two Pesos, Inc. v. Taco Cabana, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1992
- Inwood Laboratories, Inc. v. Ives Laboratories, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1982
25 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by49 opinions
- CTB, Inc. v. Hog Slat, Inc.Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2020
- Kehoe Component Sales Inc. v. Best Lighting Products, Inc.Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 2015
- Innovation Ventures, LLC v. N2G Distributing, Inc.Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 2014
- Progressive Distribution Services, Inc. v. United Parcel Service, Inc.Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 2017
- Yellowfin Yachts, Inc. v. Barker Boatworks, LLCCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 2018
44 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.