Circuit City Stores, Inc. v. Carmax, Inc.

165 F.3d 1047 (1999)

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Circuit City Stores, Inc. v. Carmax, Inc.

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
165 F.3d 1047 (1999)

Facts

Circuit City Stores, Inc. (Circuit City) (plaintiff) registered the mark “CARMAX” to use for its car super-stores. Carmax, Inc. (Carmax) (defendant) started a used-car company in Ohio. Circuit City sued Carmax under the Lanham Act. At trial, Carmax claimed that it had used the name prior to Circuit City’s constructive use of the mark. The court found that Carmax presented insufficient evidence of this claim and granted Circuit City an injunction against Carmax. Carmax appealed this decision.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Merritt, J.)

Concurrence (Jones, J.)

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