Ashley Furniture Industries v. SanGiacomo N.A.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
187 F.3d 363 (1999)
- Written by Jenny Perry, JD
Facts
Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. (Ashley) (plaintiff) and SanGiacomo N.A. Ltd. (defendant) were competitors in the business of manufacturing and marketing mid-priced furniture. In March 1996, Ashley began selling a neoclassical-style bedroom suite under the trade name Sommerset. The Sommerset suite consisted of a headboard, two nightstands, an armoire, and a dresser with a mirror, all with a modern, high-gloss polyester appearance and classical details, including a faux marble finish, fluted columns, arches, and entablatures. The Sommerset suite retailed for approximately $2,500 and was considered by those in the industry to be unique and distinct from other bedroom sets on the market. Less than a year after Ashley introduced the Sommerset line, SanGiacomo started selling a bedroom suite under the trade name La Dolce Vita. That suite also consisted of a headboard, two nightstands, an armoire, and a dresser with a mirror but retailed for approximately $1,800. Like the Sommerset, the La Dolce Vita suite also featured a high-gloss, marble-like finish, fluted columns, arches, and entablatures. Ashley sued SanGiacomo, alleging that the La Dolce Vita design infringed Ashley’s rights in the Sommerset design. The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment. The district court concluded that Ashley had not offered sufficient evidence to support a finding that the Sommerset design was inherently distinctive and granted SanGiacomo’s motion. Ashley appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Motz, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.