Dreamwerks Production, Inc. v. SKG Studio
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
142 F.3d 1127 (1998)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Dreamwerks Production, Inc. (plaintiff) was a small company that organized science fiction conventions, mostly based around Star Trek. Among other things, patrons could watch movie previews and purchase memorabilia at the conventions. Dreamwerks was created in 1984 and obtained a trademark for its name in 1992. DreamWorks SKG Studio (defendant), created in 1994, was one of the largest film studios in Hollywood and overall was a large entertainment conglomerate. Dreamwerks sued DreamWorks for trademark infringement. The district court granted DreamWorks’s motion for summary judgment. Dreamwerks appealed. Dreamwerks argued that its reputation would suffer if people bought a ticket to a Dreamwerks convention thinking they were going to a DreamWorks convention.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Kozinski, J.)
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