White v. Paramount Pictures Corp.

1997 WL 76957 (1997)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
W
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

White v. Paramount Pictures Corp.

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
1997 WL 76957 (1997)

Facts

James White (plaintiff) was a member of a band called The Romulans. To promote the band, White created, sold, and distributed a connect-the-dots game beginning in 1982. The game included the mark “THE ROMULANS,” and White attempted to register the mark by filing an application in 1991. According to White, he sold about 20 to 25 games per year and gave away many more, but he did not retain business records of these transactions. In 1992, Paramount Pictures Corporation (Paramount) (defendant) opposed White’s registration of “ROMULANS” as a trademark because Paramount had used the term in its Star Trek movies and products from 1966 onward. At a hearing before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), Paramount obtained a summary judgment because White’s use of the game was not a bona fide use in commerce of a good. White appealed the TTAB’s decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Smith, 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 804,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead 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.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 804,000 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.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 804,000 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
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 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

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Trademark

Key Terms