The name game; Companies in legal tussle over trademark.Byline: Aaron NicodemusWORCESTER - Call it the war of the T-shirts, "good" versus "nutz." Life is nutz Inc., a West Boylston-based startup, has sued Needham-based Life is good Co. in U.S. District Court in Worcester, attempting to ward off a threat by "Life is good" to shut down "Life is nutz." Earlier this month, Boston-based Life is good Co. sent a strongly worded letter to Life is nutz Inc., demanding that Life is nutz drop its U.S. patent application on the catchphrase Noun 1. catchphrase - a phrase that has become a catchword catch phrase phrase - an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence "Life is nutz," stop selling Life is nutz products, and forward all products to Life is good for destruction. Rather than wait for the inevitable lawsuit, Life is nutz responded with a pre-emptive strike Noun 1. pre-emptive strike - a surprise attack that is launched in order to prevent the enemy from doing it to you coup de main, surprise attack - an attack without warning , essentially asking U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to settle the dispute. Judge Saylor has presided over several trademark-infringement lawsuits recently, including Commerce Bank & Trust Co.'s case against Toronto-Dominion Banknorth, which was attempting to become "TD Commerce Bank." As a result of that lawsuit, TD Banknorth  This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers.Please [improve the article] or discuss this issue on the talk page. became TD Bank. "We're not looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. anything from Life is good," said John T. Graff, a Worcester lawyer representing Life is nutz. "We're asking the judge to determine that what they are doing does not infringe on their trademark, and that Life is nutz be allowed to continue what they're doing now." Kevin Brown The name Kevin Brown can refer to several different people, including the following:
n. One who competes in a triathlon. , Mr. Brown views the "Life is nutz" business venture as a way to support six charities that he and his partners believe in. Those charities include the Addiction Referral Center in Marlboro, and the Right Turn substance abuse recovery center for artists and musicians in Arlington. He estimated that he and his partners have raised $85,000. "There is no financial reward right now," Mr. Brown said. "We understand that obstacles come in our way and we keep pressing forward." Life is nutz will donate 10 percent of its profits to those charities, and that percentage paid to charity will go up as sales increase, he said. "We're starting up a business in this economy, and we're donating profits to charity; a lot of people would say we're nuts," said Bill Beers of Shrewsbury, another partner in Life is nutz. Life is good is a $100 million company selling its products nationwide and in 29 foreign countries. The company holds several festivals every year and has raised $4 million through its charitable wing, the Life is Good Kids Foundation. Life is good contended that Life is nutz is just another knockoff knock·off n. Informal An unauthorized copy or imitation, as of designer clothing: "the place to go for quality knockoffs" Women's Wear Daily. Noun 1. , like so many that Life is good has sued before. "It's something I have to deal with on a daily basis," said John Banse, general counsel for the Life is good Co. "Products like these get our dander dander /dan·der/ (dan´der) small scales from the hair or feathers of animals, which may be a cause of allergy in sensitive persons. dan·der n. up." Life is nutz "is copying our graphics, our font, and is a spinoff Spinoff A new, independent company created through selling or distributing new shares for an existing part of another company. Notes: Spinoffs may be done through a rights offering. on our trademark," he said. "You're going to get consumer confusion. People will want to know, `Why is Life is good going negative?'" In the past two years, Life is good has sued a Weston student for marketing "Life Sucks," unsuccessfully attempted to stop Korean electronics manufacturer LG from using "Life's Good" in an ad campaign, and sued another company using "Life is Gay." Part of Life is nutz's defense is that the two products are different enough that people won't confuse them. The lawsuit also points out there are lots of other companies selling T-shirts with variations on "Life is," from "Life is God" to "Life is Balance" to "Life is Crap." "The marks have different meanings, and they're intended to evoke a different response," said Mr. Graff, Life is nutz's Worcester lawyer. Although Mr. Banse said that Life is good found out about Life is nutz when company lawyers saw the Life is nutz application with the U.S. Patent Office, Mr. Brown said he drew Life is good's attention to his startup. Perhaps naively, Mr. Brown said he sought out Life is good for some advice on how to get started in the T-shirt business. "We don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. the apparel business; we thought they'd help us out with contacts, that kind of thing," Mr. Brown said. "I guess it sort of backfired." ART: PHOTOS; CHARTS CUTLINE: (PHOTO) From left are Joe Turcotte, Kevin Brown and Bill Beers, officials of the company called Life is nutz. (CHART 1) Life is nutz Inc. (CHART 2) Life is good Co. PHOTOG pho·tog n. Informal A person who takes photographs, especially as a profession; a photographer. : (PHOTO) T&G Staff/RICK CINCLAIR |
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