Just last week, a new complaint was filed in the California Central District Court that initiated a lawsuit arguing patent, trademark, and copyright infringement. Lifetime Brands is a known manufacturer of kitchenware, tableware, and other products used at home. They seem to invest in their products but also in protecting their intellectual property and ensuring the market exclusivity of their products. The Lifetime Brands markets products under a number of widely-recognized brand names and trademarks such as Farberware®, KitchenAid®, Sabatier®, Amco Houseworks®, Chef’n®, Chicago MetallicTM, Copco®, Fred® and Friends, HoudiniTM, KitchenCraft®, Kamenstein®, KizmosTM, La Cafetière®, MasterClass®, Misto®, Swing-A-Way®, Taylor Kitchen®, and Rabbit®.

In the complaint, attorneys Seth D. Levy, Erica J. Van Loon, and Mark S. Zhai of Nixon Peabody LLP have included numerous occasions of how products manufactured by other companies allegedly infringe the intellectual property rights, primarily ornamental designs from their patents on bag clips and copyright of designed tea filters and glass markers. The product in the picture is one of the examples where an ornamental design of a bag clip is allegedly infringed from a product manufactured by the defendants.

The plaintiff party requests a decision against the defendants that enjoins them from further infringement and damages awarded for the infringement of U.S. Patent D893,995, D911,832, U.S. Copyright Reg. VA 1- 974-622, VA 2-211-979, VA 2-029-633, VA 2-029-631, and U.S. Trademark Registration 4,386,868, 5,164,826, and 5,591,783.

What are your thoughts on this case? How is it likely going to end?