[E-trademarks] Assigning right to sue for past infringements

Tue Oct 8 20:08:15 UTC 2024

Sorry just seeing this

C. Dale Quisenberry
Quisenberry Law PLLC
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From: Kevin Grierson <kgrierson at cm.law>
Date: Tuesday, 8 October 2024 at 2:02 pm
To: For trademark practitioners. This is not for laypersons to seek legal advice. <e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com>
Cc: Dale Quisenberry <dale at quisenberrylaw.com>, Lara Pearson (lara at brandgeek.net) <lara at brandgeek.net>
Subject: RE: [E-trademarks] Assigning right to sue for past infringements
Same for trademarks.  We are in the process of filing a motion to dismiss in a TM infringement case for exactly that reason.

A predecessor's assignment of a trademark carries no right to sue for past infringement, unless the assignment explicitly states that it includes such a right.  George W. Luft Co. v. Zande Cosmetic Co., 142 F.2d 536, 541 (2d Cir. 1944) (explaining that an assignment does not convey existing claims for trademark or patent infringement, but a transfer of all of a corporation's assets would include existing causes of action for both); see H&J Foods, Inc. v. Reeder, 477 F.2d 1053, 1056 (9th Cir. 1973) (holding that pre-assignment damages are disfavored, and only allowed when the right to sue is clearly spelled out in the assignment); Bulte v. Igleheart Bros., 137 F. 492, 493 (7th Cir. 1905) (noting that the plaintiff had received all interest in the trademark at issue, including the rights of action for past infringement); Lanard Toys, Ltd. v. Novelty Inc., 511 F. Supp. 2d 1020, 1030 (C.D. Cal. 2007) (holding that the plaintiff had standing to sue for trademark infringement where the assignment included "the right to sue on existing causes of action"); Fair Undercar Care, Inc. v. Wakefield, No. 91 C 7021, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10120, 1992 WL 162970, at *2 (N.D. Ill. July 7, 1992) (involving a trademark assignment that included "the right to sue for past infringement").

Persis Int'l, Inc. v. Burgett, Inc., No. 09 C 7451, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 115410, at *7-9 (N.D. Ill. Sep. 26, 2011).

Kevin Grierson
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From: E-trademarks <e-trademarks-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com> On Behalf Of Dale Quisenberry via E-trademarks
Sent: Tuesday, October 8, 2024 2:50 PM
To: For trademark practitioners. This is not for laypersons to seek legal advice. <e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com>
Cc: Dale Quisenberry <dale at quisenberrylaw.com>
Subject: Re: [E-trademarks] Assigning right to sue for past infringements

EXTERNAL EMAIL
I agree.  And on the patent side, there is case law going back to a late 1800’s Supreme Court case called Moore v. Marsh (and more recently in Federal Circuit cases such as Arachnid) that say if the right to sue and recover for past infringement is not expressly assigned then it stays with the assignor.

C. Dale Quisenberry
Quisenberry Law PLLC
13910 Champion Forest Drive, Suite 203
Houston, Texas 77069
(832) 680.5000 (office)
(832) 680.1000 (mobile)
(832) 680.5555 (facsimile)
www.quisenberrylaw.com<http://www.quisenberrylaw.com/>

This email may contain information that is confidential and subject to the attorney-client privilege, work product doctrine and other applicable privileges.  This email is intended to be received only by those to whom it is specifically addressed.  Any receipt of this email by others is not intended to and shall not waive any applicable privilege.  If you have received this email in error, please delete it and immediately notify the sender by separate email.  Thank you.

From: E-trademarks <e-trademarks-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:e-trademarks-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com>> on behalf of Crane, Susan via E-trademarks <e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com>>
Date: Tuesday, 8 October 2024 at 1:45 pm
To: For trademark practitioners. This is not for laypersons to seek legal advice. <e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com>>
Cc: Crane, Susan <susan.crane at wyndham.com<mailto:susan.crane at wyndham.com>>
Subject: Re: [E-trademarks] Assigning right to sue for past infringements
That language has always been part of basically every assignment I’ve ever seen. Curious why, if it is already included, counsel pushed back on what is then essentially a belt and suspenders approach.

Susan L. Crane
Group Vice President, Legal
Intellectual Property, Brands & Marketing

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.
22 Sylvan Way
Parsippany, NJ 07054
O (973) 753-6455
M (973) 879-3420
Susan.Crane at wyndham.Com<mailto:Susan.Crane at wyndham.Com>

On Oct 8, 2024, at 2:39 PM, Lara Pearson via E-trademarks <e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:e-trademarks at oppedahl-lists.com>> wrote:

Hi list friends: I hope this finds you smiling. In the past couple years I have included a provision in trademark assignments that allows for the assignee to act on and recover for past infringements. A counterpart's counsel recently pushed
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Hi list friends:

I hope this finds you smiling.

In the past couple years I have included a provision in trademark assignments that allows for the assignee to act on and recover for past infringements. A counterpart's counsel recently pushed back on this saying that a basic assignment of the Mark & goodwill automatically included those rights. I cannot recall when exactly, nor why, I started including that specific past infringement language in my assignments.

I would love to hear your thoughts on whether including this extra language is prudent, necessary, or unnecessary, and why.

Thank you.

With appreciation for this list serv and each of you wonderful list friends (lurkers too!,

Lara Pearson, Esq.

Law Office of Lara Pearson Ltd, PBC & Brand Geek

775.833.1600

Calendly.com/BrandGeek (let's meet)

Creative typoing by iPhone

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