Case 3:07-cv-05370-SI Document 66 Filed 04/03/2008 Page 1 of 31 1 COLETTE VOGELE (SBN No. 192865) Email: [email protected] 2 BENJAMIN COSTA (SBN No. 245953) Email: [email protected] 3 VOGELE & ASSOCIATES 12 Geary Street, Suite 701 4 San Francisco, CA 94108 Tel: (415) 751-5737 5 Fax: (415) 358-4975 6 Attorneys for Plaintiff and Counter-defendant VIOLET BLUE 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE 9 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 11 12 VIOLET BLUE, an Individual, Case No. C 07-5370 SI 13 Plaintiff and Counter-defendant, PLAINTIFF VIOLET BLUE’S NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION 14 v. FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION 15 ADA MAE JOHNSON a/k/a ADA The Honorable Susan Illston WOFFINDEN, an individual d/b/a Courtroom 10, 19th Floor 16 VIOLET BLUE a/k/a VIOLET a/k/a 450 Golden Gate Avenue VIOLET LUST; ASSASSIN PICTURES San Francisco, CA 94102 17 INC., a California Corporation; ASSASSINCASH.COM; BILL T. FOX, Hearing Date: May 9, 2008 18 an individual, a/k/a BILL FOX; FIVE Hearing Time: 9:00 a.m. STAR VIDEO L.C., an Arizona Limited 19 Liability Company a/k/a Five Star Video Distributors LLC d/b/a Five Star 20 Fulfillment; and DOES 1-10, 21 Defendants and Counter-claimants. 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PLAINTIFF BLUE’S NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION Case No. 07-05370 SI FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION Case 3:07-cv-05370-SI Document 66 Filed 04/03/2008 Page 2 of 31 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES ................................................................. 1 3 I. INTRODUCTION. .............................................................................................................. 1 4 II. RELEVANT FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY ................................................... 2 5 A. STATEMENT OF FACTS. ..................................................................................... 2 6 1. Plaintiff Blue’s Career As A Sex-Positive Writer, Blogger And Educator. ...................................................................................................... 2 7 2. Defendant Woffinden’s Unauthorized Use Of Plaintiff’s Name, 8 Trademark And Persona. ............................................................................. 3 9 3. Defendants Woffinden, Assassin Pictures Inc., Assassincash.com, Bill T. Fox, Five Star Video L.C., And Does 1-10 Unauthorized 10 Distribution And Complicity In Infringement. ............................................ 7 11 B. PROCEDURAL HISTORY. .................................................................................... 8 12 III. ARGUMENT. ...................................................................................................................... 9 13 A. LEGAL STANDARD FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION. ............................... 9 14 B. BLUE HAS A STRONG LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS ON THE MERITS OF HER TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT, TRADEMARK 15 DILUTION, UNFAIR COMPETITION, AND RIGHT OF PUBLICITY CLAIMS. ............................................................................................................... 10 16 1. Trademark Infringement And Unfair Competition. ................................... 10 17 a. Blue Has Protectable Rights In The VIOLET BLUE Mark. ......... 10 18 b. A Likelihood Of Confusion Exists Between The Marks. .............. 11 19 2. Trademark Dilution. ................................................................................... 18 20 3. Blue Is Likely To Succeed On The Merits Of Her Claim That 21 Woffinden’s Unauthorized Use Of Plaintiff Blue’s Name and Likeness Violates Cal. Civ. Code § 3344. ................................................. 21 22 C. Blue Will Suffer Irreparable Harm If An Injunction Is Not Issued. ...................... 22 23 D. THE BALANCE OF HARDSHIPS FAVORS PLAINTIFF AND THE 24 PUBLIC INTEREST IS SERVED BY A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION. ........ 24 25 IV. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 25 26 27 28 i Case 3:07-cv-05370-SI Document 66 Filed 04/03/2008 Page 3 of 31 1 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES 2 CASES 3 A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc. 239 F.3d 1004 (9th Cir. 2001) .................................................................................................. 9 4 Abercrombie & Fitch Co. v. Hunting World, Inc. 5 537 F.2d 4 (2d Cir. 1976) ....................................................................................................... 12 6 Am. Honda Motor Co. v. Pro-Line Protoform 325 F. Supp. 2d 1081 (9th Cir. 2004) ..................................................................................... 20 7 AMF, Inc. v. Sleekcraft Boats 8 599 F.2d 341 (9th Cir 1979) ............................................................................................ passim 9 Apple Computer, Inc. 725 F.2d 521 (9th Cir. 1984) .................................................................................................. 23 10 Applied Information Sciences Corp. v. eBAY, Inc. 11 511 F.3d 966 (9th Cir. 2007) ...................................................................................... 10, 11, 18 12 Autozone, Inc. v. Strick 466 F. Supp. 2d 1034 (E.D. Ill. 2006)..................................................................................... 20 13 Brookfield Commc’ns v. West Coast Entertainment Corp. 14 174 F.3d 1036 (9th Cir. 2005) .......................................................................................... 11, 15 15 Century 21 Real Estate Corp. v. Sandlin 846 F.2d 1175 (9th Cir. 1988) .................................................................................................. 9 16 Cleary v. News Corp. 17 30 F.3d 1255 (9th Cir. 1994) .................................................................................................. 10 18 E. & J. Gallo Winery v. Gallo Cattle Co. 967 F.2d 1280 (9th Cir. 1992) ................................................................................................ 12 19 Fleischmann Distilling Corp. v. Maier Brewing Co. 20 314 F.2d 149 (9th Cir. 1963) .................................................................................................. 16 21 Friend v. H. A. Friend & Co. 416 F.2d 526 (CA 9 1969) ...................................................................................................... 16 22 GoTo.com, Inc. v. Walt Disney Co. 23 202 F.3d 1199 (9th Cir. 2000) .................................................................................................. 9 24 Grocery Outlet Inc. v. Albertson’s Inc. 497 F.3d 949 (9th Cir. 2007) .................................................................................................... 9 25 HMH Publishing Co. v. Lambert 26 482 F.2d 595 (CA 1973) ......................................................................................................... 16 27 Hormel Foods Corp. v. Jim Henson Prods., Inc. 73 F.3d 497 (2d. Cir. 1996)..................................................................................................... 21 28 PLAINTIFF BLUE’S NOTICE OF MOTION AND Case No. 07-05370 SI MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION ii Case 3:07-cv-05370-SI Document 66 Filed 04/03/2008 Page 4 of 31 1 Int’l Kennel Club of Chicago v. Mighty Star, Inc. 846 F.2d 1079 (7th Cir. 1988) .................................................................................................. 9 2 Interstellar Starship Services, Ltd. v. Epix Inc. 3 184 F.3d 1107 (9th Cir. 1999) ................................................................................................ 18 4 Inwood Laboratories, Inc. v. Ives Laboratories, Inc. 456 U.S. 844 (1982) ................................................................................................................ 11 5 Jada Toys, Inc. v. Mattel, Inc. 6 __ F.3d. __, 85 U.S.P.Q.2D (BNA) 1895, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 3627 (9th Cir. Feb. 21, 2008) .................................................................................................................. 11 7 Kendall-Jackson Winery v. E. & J. Gallo Winery 8 150 F.3d 1042 (9th Cir. 1998) ................................................................................................ 10 9 L.D.Kichler Co. v. Davoil Inc. 192 F.3d 1349 (Fed.Cir. 1999)................................................................................................ 13 10 L.E. Waterman Co. v. Modern Pen Co. 11 235 U.S. 88 (1914) .................................................................................................................. 22 12 Lane Kapital Mgmt., Inc. v. Lane Capital Mgmt., Inc. 192 F.3d 337 (2d Cir. 1999).................................................................................................... 12 13 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Com. v. National Football League 14 634 F.2d 1197 (9th Cir. 1980) ............................................................................................ 9, 24 15 Microsoft Corp. v. Evans 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 77088 (D. Cal. 2007) ........................................................................ 10 16 Miss Universe, Inc. v. Flesher 17 605 F.2d 1130 (9th Cir. 1979) .................................................................................................. 9 18 Moseley v. V. Secret Catalogue, Inc. 537 U.S. 418 (2003) ................................................................................................................ 20 19 New W. Corp. v. NYM Co. 20 595 F.2d 1194 (9th Cir. 1979) ................................................................................................ 10 21 Nike, Inc. v. Nikepal Intern., Inc. 2007 WL 2782030 .................................................................................................................