Foley Wins Exceptional Trademark Dispute for United Online

Foley successfully represented client United Online, parent company to Classmates.com, a site that aims to reunite fellow high school friends, in a trademark dispute case. Sports memorabilia dealer Memory Lane Inc. accused Classmates.com of trademark infringement.

According to the suit, filed in 2011, Memory Lane began receiving emails from irate customers of Classmates.com complaining about unauthorized credit card charges. Memory Lane sought actual and punitive damages under California’s unfair-competition law and the Lanham Act, the federal trademark law. Classmates.com and United Online argued that Memory Lane’s trademark is limited to its distinctive logo, which features a baseball player. They also argued the auction house lost no sales due to Classmates.com’s Memory Lane business, which no longer exists. Post-trial interviews with the jury indicated that they rejected all aspects of the plaintiff’s case.

The Foley team included Bill Robinson, Craig Fochler, Jean-Paul Ciardullo and Charles Mandly.