From our private database of 15,100+ case briefs...

Brookfield Communications, Inc. v. West Coast Entertainment Corp.

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
174 F.3d 1036 (1999)

Facts

Brookfield Communications, Inc. (Brookfield) (plaintiff) created a software program that featured a searchable database of entertainment industry information. Brookfield named the software MovieBuff and began marketing its database under the MovieBuff mark in 1993. Brookfield also eventually registered MovieBuff as a trademark under federal and California law. In 1996, Brookfield attempted to register the domain name moviebuff.com, but was informed that moviebuff.com had already been registered by West Coast Entertainment Corporation (West Coast) (defendant). West Coast intended to use moviebuff.com to launch a searchable entertainment database similar to Brookfield’s Movie Buff. Since 1991, West Coast had owned the registered service mark: “The Movie Buff’s Movie Store.” West Coast also noted that it had used the term “Movie Buff” since at least 1988 to promote its goods and services. Brookfield sued and sought an injunction prohibiting West Coast from using moviebuff.com. The trial court denied Brookfield’s motion. Brookfield appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (O’Scannlain, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 97,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Vanderbilt, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students. Read our student testimonials.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students. Read more about Quimbee.

Here's why 288,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 15,100 briefs, keyed to 205 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.

Here's why 288,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners not other law students.
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet.
  • 15,100 briefs - keyed to 205 casebooks.
  • Uniform format for every case brief.
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language.
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions.
  • Top-notch customer support.