Ausable River Trading Post, LLC v. Dovetail Solutions, Inc.

SUTTON, Circuit Judge.

*569 Every winter for the last sixty years or so, Tawas, Michigan has become the home of the "Perchville" festival, replete with a polar bear swim and a fishing contest. The Tawas Area Chamber of Commerce organizes the annual February event and has registered the name Perchville as a trademark. A local company-the AuSable River Trading Post-wants to make Perchville-branded tee-shirts, and sued the Chamber to invalidate its mark. The district court declined. Because "Perchville" is a distinctive term eligible for protection under the Lanham Act, we affirm.

I

Tawas rests on the…