“You’re driving over the ocean in the Florida Keys when suddenly you get a hankering for a slice of pizza. Unfortunately, there is no toll booth in sight. What will you do?”
Some of you might remember an article I wrote several years ago that began this way. I was alluding to the strange case of a state turnpike authority that was suing a pizzeria for trademark infringement. Here is a very belated update on that case.
The lawsuit
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority filed a lawsuit against Jersey Boardwalk, a Florida pizzeria, for trademark infringement. It claimed the pizzeria’s mark was so similar to its mark that people were likely to mistakenly assume the pizza restaurant was connected in some way with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. It accused the pizzeria of trading on the goodwill of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. It sought an injunction, compensatory damages, and treble damages, claiming trademark infringement, dilution, and unfair competition.
Pizza
Pizza is an Italian food that was created in the Naples area of Southern Italy. It is made with different toppings. Some of the most common ones are mozzarella cheese, sausages, pepperoni, vegetables, tomatoes, spices and herbs. These toppings are put on a large piece of bread covered with sauce. The sauce is most often tomato-based, but other kinds of bases may be used. The bread is called a “crust.” Virtually any kind of topping can be put on a pizza. I have even witnessed otherwise rational people using chicken and pineapple as pizza toppings.
Disposition
The court ultimately dismissed the lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds. The court noted that the pizzeria does not have any stores in New Jersey. It had only made sales to a handful of New Jersey customers, and they were online sales. These contacts with New Jersey were “too attenuated to put the Defendants on notice that they would be subject to a trademark infringement suit in New Jersey,” the court ruled.
Nor did the company’s use of the word “Jersey” amount to purposeful availment of the privilege of doing business in New Jersey. Using the name of a state to conjure consumer interest in nostalgia or exoticism is not what “purposeful availment” of a state’s services or resources means, for purposes of Due Process analysis.
New Jersey Turnpike Authority v. Jersey Boardwalk Franchising Co., Inc. et al.
USPTO proceedings
Years before this litigation, the Turnpike Authority had filed an opposition to the pizzeria’s application to register its mark. The United States Trademark Trials and Appeals Board (TTAB) dismissed the Turnpike Authority’s opposition to the pizzeria’s registration of the trademark for restaurant services.
After the registration certificate was issued, the Turnpike Authority filed a petition to cancel it. The U.S. TTAB denied the petition. (TTAB Opposition No. 91219067) The Board found that the Turnpike Authority failed to establish likelihood of confusion with its registered trademark for highway maintenance and information services. The Board did not believe that consumers would expect restaurant and highway maintenance services to come from the same source.
It is one of those kinds of cases that can make you simultaneously scratch and shake your head.
Read about other, perhaps less weird, trademark legal issues.
Contact attorney Tom James
Visit my extensive Trademark FAQs page.
Need help with a trademark or copyright matter? Contact Cokato, Minnesota attorney Tom James.
About the Author: Written by Thomas James, a licensed attorney with a practice focused on trademark and copyright protection for creators, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits. He is an accomplished author of legal texts and is admitted to practice before the Bar of the United States Supreme Court.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog post is for general informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship. While I am an attorney, I am not your attorney. If you need legal advice, you should retain or consult with an attorney.
