2001 United States Supreme Court case
TrafFix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc. |
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Argued November 29, 2000 Decided March 20, 2001 |
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Full case name | TrafFix Devices, Incorporated, Petitioner v. Marketing Displays, Incorporated |
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Citations | 532 U.S. 23 (more)121 S. Ct. 1255; 149 L. Ed. 2d 164; 2001 U.S. LEXIS 2457; 69 U.S.L.W. 4172; 58 U.S.P.Q.2d (BNA) 1001; 2001 Cal. Daily Op. Service 2223; 2001 Daily Journal DAR 2796; 2001 Colo. J. C.A.R. 1496; 14 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 135 |
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Holding |
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There can be no trademark protection for something that is functional. |
Court membership |
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- Chief Justice
- William Rehnquist
- Associate Justices
- John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy David Souter · Clarence Thomas Ruth Bader Ginsburg · Stephen Breyer |
Case opinion |
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Majority | Kennedy, joined by unanimous |
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TrafFix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc., 532 U.S. 23 (2001), was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision in the field of trademark law. The case determined that a functional design could not be eligible for trademark protection, and it established a presumption that a patented design is inherently functional.[1]
Background
The plaintiff, Marketing Display, Inc., held patents (US 3662482 , US 3646696 ) for a two-spring design used to stabilize traffic signs in strong winds. Following the expiration of the plaintiff's patents, the defendant, TrafFix Devices, Inc., started producing their own signs utilizing the same design.[2] The plaintiff filed a lawsuit, alleging trade dress infringement based on the imitation of the distinctive design. The central legal issue addressed by the courts was whether trade dress protection could be granted to a product that was previously covered by an expired patent.
Opinion of the Court
The Court, in a unanimous opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy, held that there can be no trademark protection for something that is functional because that would work as a detriment to competitors based on something other than reputation, which is the key consideration in trademark law.
The Court noted that the plaintiff has the burden of proving that the characteristic for which protection is sought is not functional—but having a patent for a design raises a very strong presumption that the design was functional. A design is functional if it serves any purpose that makes the product work better, or makes the product less expensive to produce. That an alternative design is available does not undercut the functionality of a given design.
Discussing trademarks, we have said “ ‘[i]n general terms, a product feature is functional,’ and cannot serve as a trademark, ‘if it is essential to the use or purpose of the article or if it affects the cost or quality of the article.’ ”. Expanding upon the meaning of this phrase, we have observed that a functional feature is one the “exclusive use of [which] would put competitors at a significant non-reputation-related disadvantage.” . . . Where the design is functional under the Inwood formulation there is no need to proceed further to consider if there is a competitive necessity for the feature.[1]
Here, Justice Kennedy said, the design was clearly functional, and the plaintiff could not carry the burden of proving otherwise because the very characteristic that is sought to be protected by trademark is the one whose functionality was previously sought to be covered by patent.
See also
References
External links
- Text of TrafFix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc., 532 U.S. 23 (2001) is available from: Cornell CourtListener Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)
Enumeration Clause of Section II |
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Qualifications Clauses of Sections II and III |
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Elections Clause of Section IV |
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Dormant Commerce Clause | - Brown v. Maryland (1827)
- Willson v. Black-Bird Creek Marsh Co. (1829)
- Cooley v. Board of Wardens (1852)
- Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Co. v. Illinois (1886)
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- George W. Bush & Sons Co. v. Malloy (1925)
- Baldwin v. G.A.F. Seelig, Inc. (1935)
- Edwards v. California (1941)
- Southern Pacific Co. v. Arizona (1945)
- Dean Milk Co. v. City of Madison (1951)
- Miller Bros. Co. v. Maryland (1954)
- Bibb v. Navajo Freight Lines, Inc. (1959)
- National Bellas Hess v. Illinois (1967)
- Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc. (1970)
- Hughes v. Alexandria Scrap Corp. (1976)
- Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. Brady (1977)
- Hunt v. Washington State Apple Advertising Commission (1977)
- City of Philadelphia v. New Jersey (1978)
- Exxon Corp. v. Governor of Maryland (1978)
- Reeves, Inc. v. Stake (1980)
- Kassel v. Consolidated Freightways Corp. (1981)
- Sporhase v. Nebraska ex rel. Douglas (1982)
- White v. Mass. Council of Construction Employers (1983)
- South-Central Timber Development, Inc. v. Wunnicke (1984)
- Maine v. Taylor (1986)
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Others | |
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Copyright Act of 1790 | |
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Patent Act of 1793 | |
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Patent infringement case law | |
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Patentability case law | |
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Copyright Act of 1831 | |
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Copyright Act of 1870 | |
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Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 | |
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International Copyright Act of 1891 | |
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Copyright Act of 1909 | |
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Patent misuse case law | |
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Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 | |
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Lanham Act | - Inwood Laboratories, Inc. v. Ives Laboratories, Inc. (1982)
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- Qualitex Co. v. Jacobson Products Co. (1995)
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- Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. (2001)
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Copyright Act of 1976 | - Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co. (1977)
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- Harper & Row v. Nation Enterprises (1985)
- Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid (1989)
- Stewart v. Abend (1990)
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- Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc. (1994)
- Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. (1994)
- Lotus Dev. Corp. v. Borland Int'l, Inc. (1996)
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- Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. (2014)
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Other copyright cases | |
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- Lear, Inc. v. Adkins (1969)
- Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc. v. Pavement Salvage Co. (1969)
- Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc. (1971)
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- Dann v. Johnston (1976)
- Sakraida v. Ag Pro Inc. (1976)
- Parker v. Flook (1978)
- Diamond v. Chakrabarty (1980)
- Diamond v. Diehr (1981)
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Other trademark cases | |
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Habeas corpus Suspension Clause of Section IX |
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No Bills of Attainder or Ex post facto Laws Clause of Section IX |
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Compact Clause of Section X |
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