Opinion
CASE NO. 20-60468-CIV-SMITH
04-23-2020
TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC., et al., Plaintiffs, v. TATATADBG, et al., Defendants.
ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR ENTRY OF PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION
This matter is before the Court on the Motion for Entry of Preliminary Injunction [DE 6] filed under 15 U.S.C. § 1116, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65, and The All Writs Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1651(a), by Plaintiffs, Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc., Acushnet Company, Roger Cleveland Golf Company, Inc., Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, and Parsons Xtreme Golf, LLC. Plaintiffs ask the Court to enter a preliminary injunction against Defendants, the Individuals, Partnerships, and Unincorporated Associations identified on Schedule "A" hereto. The Court convened a hearing on April 23, 2020, at which only counsel for Plaintiffs was present and available to present evidence supporting the Motion. As discussed below, Plaintiffs have satisfied the requirements for issuance of a preliminary injunction.
I. BACKGROUND
The following factual background is taken from Plaintiffs' Complaint [DE 1], the Motion, and supporting evidentiary submissions and exhibits.
Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. is the owner of the following trademarks (the "Taylor Made Golf Marks"), which are valid and registered on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO):
| Trademark | RegistrationNumber | RegistrationDate | Class / Goods |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAYLOR MADE | 1,200,542 | July 6, 1982 | IC 028. Golf Clubs |
| TAYLOR MADE | 1,374,009 | December 3,1985 | IC 028. [ Golf Balls, ] Golf Bags andGolf Club Head Covers |
| TAYLOR MADE | 1,420,059 | December 9,1986 | IC 018. Golf umbrellas.IC 025. Golf hats, visors and golf gloves.IC 028. Golf bag travel covers and golfequipment bags |
| TAYLOR MADE | 1,424,909 | January 13,1987 | IC 025. Men's and women's golfclothing, namely, caps, shirts, [blouses,sweaters, slacks, skirts] and golf gloves |
| RESCUE | 2,092,034 | August 26, 1997 | IC 028. Golf clubs. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 2,557,110 | April 2, 2002 | IC 018. Golf umbrellas, luggage andbags, namely, non-canvas tote bags, forgolfers.IC 025. Clothing, namely, hats, visors,caps, [ shirts, skirts, blouses, sweaters,slacks, shorts, jackets, coats, pullovers,cardigans and shoes ].IC 028. Golf equipment, namely golfclubs, golf grips, putters, shafts, golfballs, golf gloves, golf tees, golf clubcovers, and golf bags |
| Image materials not available for display. | 2,557,111 | April 2, 2002 | C 018. Golf umbrellas, luggage andbags, namely, non-canvas tote bags, forgolfers.IC 025. Clothing, namely, hats, visors,caps, [ shirts, skirts, blouses, sweaters,slacks, shorts, jackets, coats, pullovers,cardigans and shoes ].IC 028. Golf equipment, namely golfclubs, golf grips, putters, shafts, golfballs, golf gloves, golf tees, golf clubcovers, and golf bags. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 4,564,858 | July 8, 2014 | IC 025. Shirts, t-shirts |
| Image materials not available for display. | 5,076,513 | November 8,2016 | IC 028. Golf clubs. |
| GEOCOUSTIC | 5,193,052 | April 25, 2017 | IC 028. Golf clubs. |
| TWIST FACE | 5,589,137 | October 23,2018 | IC 028. Golf clubs. |
| M5 | 5,759,122 | May 21, 2019 | IC 028. Golf clubs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| M6 | 5,759,123 | May 21, 2019 | IC 028. Golf clubs. |
| M3 | 5,760,445 | May 28, 2019 | IC 028. Golf clubs. |
| M4 | 5,760,446 | May 28, 2019 | IC 028. Golf clubs. |
Acushnet Company is the owner of the following trademarks (the "Acushnet Marks"), which are valid and registered on the Principal Register of the USPTO:
| Trademark | RegistrationNumber | RegistrationDate | Class / Goods |
|---|---|---|---|
| TITLEIST | 934,406 | May 23, 1972 | IC 028. golf equipment comprising golfballs, golf clubs, golf bags, golf glovesand golf headcovers. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 1,155,766 | May 26, 1981 | IC 028. golf equipment, namely, golfballs, golf clubs and golf bags. |
| NEWPORT | 1,966,493 | April 9, 1996 | IC 028. golf putters. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 2,231,199 | March 9, 1999 | IC 028. golf clubs. |
| VOKEY DESIGN | 2,235,383 | March 23, 1999 | IC 28. golf clubs. |
| SCOTTYCAMERON | 2,525,024 | January 1, 2002 | IC 028. golf clubs and accessoriesthereof. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 2,527,400 | January 8, 2002 | IC 028. golf clubs and accessoriesthereof. |
| STUDIO DESIGN | 2,620,431 | September 17,2002 | IC 028. Golf clubs and accessories,namely golf tees, golf gloves, golf bags,golf putters, golf drivers, golf woods,golf irons, golf green repair tools, golfclub covers, and golf bag covers. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 2,620,432 | September 17,2002 | IC 028. Golf clubs and accessories,namely golf tees, golf gloves, golf bags,golf putters, golf drivers, golf woods,golf irons, golf green repair tools, golfclub covers, and golf bag covers. |
| FOR TOUR USEONLY | 3,136,851 | August 29, 2006 | IC 28. golf equipment, namely, golfputters and golf putter covers. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 3,376,961 | February 5,2008 | IC 024. golf towels.IC 025. clothing, namely, jackets, shirts,hats and visors.IC 028. golf equipment, namely, golfputters, golf club head covers, golf clubgrips and divot tools. |
| SCOTTYCAMERON | 3,421,373 | May 6, 2008 | IC 028 - Golf equipment, namely, golfbags |
| AP2 | 3,831,911 | August 10, 2010 | IC 028. golf clubs. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 3,831,914 | August 10, 2010 | IC 028.golf clubs. |
| TOUR RAT | 4,189,312 | August 14, 2012 | IC 028 - Golf balls; Golf putter covers |
| Image materials not available for display. | 4,510,737 | April 8, 2014 | IC 025. Beanies; Belts; Golf caps; Golfshorts; Golf trousers; Hats; Polo shirts;Shirts; Sweaters; T-shirts; Ties; Vests;Visors.IC 028. Covers for golf clubs; Divotrepair tools; Golf accessories, namely,holders specially adapted for holdinggolf ball markers; Golf accessorypouches; Golf bag covers; Golf bagtags; Golf bags with or without wheels;Golf ball markers; Golf balls; Golf clubinserts; Golf putter covers; Golf putters;Golf tee bags; Golf tees; Puttingpractice mats. |
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is the owner and Roger Cleveland Golf Company, Inc. is the licensee of the following trademarks (the "Cleveland Golf Marks"), which are valid and registered on the Principal Register of the USPTO:
| Trademark | RegistrationNumber | RegistrationDate | Class / Goods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image materials not available for display. | 1,306,203 | November 20,1984 | IC 028. Golf Clubs |
| Cleveland | 2,070,051 | July 8, 2008 | IC 018. carry all bags and umbrellas.IC 025. golf apparel, namely, [shirts,] caps,visors [, sweatshirts and sweater vests]IC 028. golf clubs, golf club heads, golf clubshafts, golf club grips, golf bags, golf bagcovers, and golf club head covers. |
| CLEVELAND | 2,070,054 | June 10, 1997 | IC 018. carry all bags and umbrellas.IC 025. golf apparel, namely, shirts, caps,visorsIC 028. golf clubs, golf club heads, golfclub shafts, golf club grips, golf bags, golfbag covers, and golf club head covers. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 2,302,251 | December 21,1999 | IC 028. Golf clubs, and golf club heads,namely, woods, irons and putters |
| SRIXON | 2,993,532 | December 16,1997 | IC 025. [ knitwear for sportclothes, namely,polo shirts, T-shirts, sweat shirts, sweaters,vests, cardigans; ] Golf wear, namely,[sweaters, cardigans, polo shirts, T-shirts,vests, trousers, breeches, golf hose, sweatshirts, skirts, culottes skirts, jackets, parkas,jumpers, hats ] caps, [ sun visors, and golfshoes; rainwear, namely, raincoats, rainhatsand rainjackets for golfing; tennis wear,namely, polo shirts, T-shirts, breeches,skirts, sweat shirts, sweaters, vests, trousers,culottes skirts, hats, caps, sun visors,wristbands, socks and tennis shoes; ski wear,namely, ski suits, ski pants, sweaters, glovesand ski boots ]IC 028. [ goods for billiards, namely, billiardballs, billiard cushions, billiard cues; goodsfor diving, namely, wet suits; dolls ]*Bags,namely, golf bags,* equipment for golf,especially, but not limited to, golf balls, golfclubs, [ golf tees; equipment for tennis,especially, but not limited to, tennis balls,and tennis rackets; equipment for skiing,especially, but not limited to, skis, ski poles,ski boots, and ski wax ] |
| CLEVELANDGOLF | 3,286,218 | August 28,2007 | IC 018. Carry all bags, duffel bags,backpacks, shoe bags for travel, andumbrellas.IC 024. Towels.IC 025. Caps, hats, visors, shirts.IC 028. golf clubs, golf club heads, golf clubshafts, golf club grips, golf bags, golf bagcovers, and golf club head covers |
| ZIP GROOVES | 3,463,468 | July 8, 2008 | IC 028. Golf clubs and golf club heads,namely, wedges, iron-type golf clubs [ andmetal wood-type golf clubs and heads ] |
| Image materials not available for display. | 4,188,705 | August 14,2012 | IC 018: Sport bags,[ boston bags, carry-onbags, gym bags, leather and imitationleather bags, suitcases, school bags, shoebags for travel, shoulder bags, textileshopping bags, tote bags, travel bags;]umbrellas and parasols.IC 025: [Coats; jackets; trousers;cardigans; sweaters; shirts; skirts;underwear; socks; gloves; athleticuniforms;] headwear, caps, hats;[ sportcoats, sport shirts, sport stockings, sportsbras, sports jackets, sports jerseys, sportspants, sports shirts, sports vests; boots forsports;] golf caps[, golf pants, golf shirts,golf skirts, golf shorts, golf trousers; golfshoes].IC 028: Golf balls; golf clubs;[ golf gloves;]golf bags; golf putters; golf club shafts;golf club grips; golf club heads; [golf tees;golf ball markers] |
| RTX | 4,496,993 | March 18, 2014 | IC 028. golf club heads; golf clubs; wedge-type golf club heads; wedge-type golf clubs |
| Image materials not available for display. | 4,625,022 | October 21,2014 | IC 018. Bags for sports; shoe bags for sports;umbrellas and parasols.IC 024. Towels of textile for sports; towelsof textile.IC 025. Shirts; Golf shoes; golf shirts; golfpants; golf skirts; golf trousers; golfsweaters; golf caps; golf hats; caps;headwear; visors; hats; rainwear; socks andstockings; belts being clothing; footwear.IC 028. Golf clubs; golf club shafts; golfclub grips; golf club heads; golf club headcovers; golf balls; golf gloves; golf bags;tennis balls; tennis rackets; cases for tennisballs; cases for tennis rackets. |
| ROTEX_FACE | 4,464,535 | January 14,2014 | IC 028. Golf clubs; golf club heads; golfputters |
|---|
Karsten Manufacturing Corporation is the owner of the following trademarks (the "Karsten Marks"), which are valid and registered on the Principal Register of the USPTO:
| Trademark | RegistrationNumber | RegistrationDate | Class / Goods |
|---|---|---|---|
| PING | 704,552 | September 20,1960 | IC 28. Golf clubs. |
| PING | 1,632,445 | January 22,1991 | IC 28. Sporting goods; namely, golfbags, golf balls, and head covers for golfclubs |
| PING | 4,500,597 | March 25, 2014 | IC 028. Golf clubs, golf bags, headcovers for golf clubs, travel covers forgolf bags, golf gloves, divot repair tools,hat clips for holding golf ball markers,golf ball markers, golf balls, golf balltees, stress relief balls for hand exercise,and weights for attachment to golf clubsfor use as a golf swing aid |
| G400 | 5,297,270 | September 26,2017 | IC 028. Golf clubs; Head covers for golfclubs |
| PING | 5,316,108 | October 24,2017 | IC 028. Golf club grips |
| G400 MAX | 5,493,359 | June 12, 2018 | IC 028. Golf club |
| G410 | 5,722,628 | April 9, 2019 | IC 028. Golf clubs; Head covers for golfclubs |
| G410 PLUS | 5,752,996 | May 14, 2019 | IC 028. Golf club |
Parsons Xtreme Golf, LLC is the owner of the following trademarks (the "PXG Marks"), which are valid and registered on the Principal Register of the USPTO:
| Trademark | RegistrationNumber | RegistrationDate | Class / Goods |
|---|---|---|---|
| PXG | 4,779,101 | July 21, 2015 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs, and golf club grips. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 4,779,102 | July 21, 2015 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs, head covers for golf clubs, and golfclub grips. |
| PXG | 4,861,237 | November 24,2015 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfbags, head covers for golf clubs, and golftees. |
| DARKNESS | 5,125,912 | January 17,2017 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs. |
| SUGAR DADDY | 5,347,957 | November 28,2017 | IC 028. Golf clubs. |
| Image materials not available for display. | 5,361,552 | December 19,2017 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs, head covers for golf clubs, golfgloves, golf ball markers, divot repairtools. |
| 0311T | 5,362,424 | December 26,2017 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs. |
| 0311XF | 5,362,425 | December 26,2017 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs |
| 0311 | 5,362,426 | December 26,2017 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs. |
| 0341 | 5,362,428 | December 26,2017 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs |
| 0311 | 5,362,461 | December 26,2017 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs. |
| 0341 | 5,362,464 | December 26,2017 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs |
| 0311T | 5,362,473 | December 26,2017 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs. |
| 0311XF | 5,367,458 | January 2,2018 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs |
| PXG | 5,423,672 | March 13, 2018 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclub shafts, golf balls, golf gloves, golfball markers, divot repair tools, and golfbag covers. |
| 0341X | 5,525,374 | June 13, 2018 | IC 028. Golf equipment, namely, golfclubs |
Plaintiffs allege that Defendants, through e-commerce stores operating via Internet marketplace platforms under their seller identification names or commercial Internet websites operating under their domain names identified on Schedule "A" (the "Seller IDs and Subject Domain Names"), have advertised, promoted, offered for sale, or sold goods bearing what Plaintiffs have determined to be counterfeits, infringements, reproductions and/or colorable imitations of the Taylor Made Golf Marks, Acushnet Marks, Cleveland Golf Marks, Karsten Marks, and PXG Marks (collectively, the "Plaintiffs' Marks"). (See Strojan Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Rogan Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Gingrich Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Hawken Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Ho Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Gigante Decl. [DE 6-6] ¶ 2; Burns Decl. [DE 6-7] ¶ 4.)
Although each Defendant may not copy and infringe each of Plaintiffs' Marks for each category of goods protected, Plaintiffs have submitted sufficient evidence showing that each Defendant has infringed, at least, one or more of Plaintiffs Marks. (See Strojan Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Rogan Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Gingrich Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Hawken Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Ho Decl. ¶¶ 13-15.) Defendants are not now, nor have they ever been, authorized or licensed to use, reproduce, or make counterfeits, reproductions, or colorable imitations of Plaintiffs' Marks. (See id. ¶ 11.)
Plaintiffs' counsel retained Invisible Inc ("Invisible"), a licensed private investigative firm, to investigate the promotion and sale of counterfeit and infringing versions of Plaintiffs' branded products by Defendants and to obtain the available payment account data for receipt of funds paid to Defendants for the sale of counterfeit versions of Plaintiffs' branded merchandise through the Seller IDs and Subject Domain Names. (See Strojan Decl. ¶ 12; Rogan Decl. ¶ 12; Gingrich Decl. ¶ 12; Hawken Decl. ¶ 12; Ho Decl. ¶ 12; Gigante Decl. ¶ 2; Burns Decl. ¶ 3.) Invisible accessed the e-commerce stores and commercial websites operating under Defendants' Seller IDs and Subject Domain Names. Then Invisible placed orders from each Defendant for the purchase of various products - all bearing counterfeits of at least one of Plaintiffs' Marks at issue in this action - and requested that each product be shipped to addresses in the Southern District of Florida. (See Burns Decl. ¶ 4.)
Following submission of the orders, Invisible finalized payment for the products ordered from Defendants to Defendants' respective payment accounts and/or payee which are identified on Schedule "A" hereto. (Id.) At the conclusion of the process, the detailed web page captures and images of products offered for sale and ordered by Invisible from Defendants were sent to Plaintiffs' representatives for review. (See Strojan Decl. ¶ 13; Rogan Decl. ¶ 13; Gingrich Decl. ¶ 13; Hawken Decl. ¶ 13; Ho Decl. ¶ 13; Gigante Decl. ¶ 2; Burns Decl. ¶ 4.) Plaintiffs' representatives reviewed and visually inspected the various products and determined the products were non-genuine versions of Plaintiffs' products. (See Strojan Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Rogan Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Gingrich Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Hawken Decl. ¶¶ 13-15; Ho Decl. ¶¶ 13-15.)
Invisible was instructed not to transmit the funds to finalize the sale for the orders from Defendant Numbers 23-195, so as to avoid adding additional money to Defendants' coffers. (See Gigante Decl. ¶ 2, n.1; Burns Decl. ¶ 4, n.1.).
Defendant Numbers 1-155 operate via the non-party e-commerce marketplace platform, Wish.com, which is operated by ContextLogic Inc. The payee for the orders placed from Defendants' Wish.com Seller IDs identifies "PayPal *Wish," which is the aggregate PayPal account for purchases made Wish.com. (See Burns Decl. ¶ 4 n.2; Gigante Decl. ¶ 4.) Defendant Numbers 156-175 operate via the non-party e-commerce marketplace platform Joom.com, which is operated by SIA Joom. The payee for the orders placed from Defendants' Joom.com Seller IDs identifies "Joom USA Inc," which is the aggregate PayPal account for purchases made via Joom.com. (See Burns Decl. ¶ 4 n.2; Gigante Decl. ¶ 5.) Defendant Numbers 176-205 operate via the non-party Internet marketplace platform, AliExpress.com, and have their payments processed on their behalf using Alipay. Alipay accepts and processes payments on behalf of its individual merchants, and can tie a particular Seller ID and/or store number to a reported transaction and identify the merchant's funds held in sub-accounts within its aggregate account. Additionally, Defendant Numbers 195-197 and 202-205 use money transfer and retention services with PayPal as an alternative payment method. (See Burns Decl. ¶ 4 n.2; Gigante Decl. ¶ 6.) Defendant Numbers 206-221 use money transfer and retention services with PayPal, Inc. Further, upon completion of Invisible's purchase from Defendant Number 218, no PayPal e-mail account was provided on the transaction page. However, PayPal, Inc. is able to identify a PayPal account using the Transaction ID. (See Burns Decl. ¶ 4 n.2.)
Additional contact email addresses for Defendant Numbers 194 (sales@golfsalesnow.com), 202 (297025451@qq.com), 216 (sales@golfsalesnow.com), and 220 (sales@miugolf.com) are is also identified on Schedule "A" hereto. (See Burns Decl. ¶ 4 n.3.)
On March 3, 2020, Plaintiffs filed their Complaint [DE 1] against Defendants for federal trademark counterfeiting and infringement, false designation of origin, common law unfair competition, and common law trademark infringement. On March 6, 2020, Plaintiffs filed their Ex Parte Application for Entry of Temporary Restraining Order, Preliminary Injunction, and Order Restraining Transfer of Assets [DE 6]. On April 9, 2020, this Court entered an Order Granting Ex Parte Application for Entry of Temporary Restraining Order (the "TRO") and temporarily restrained Defendants from infringing Plaintiffs' Marks at issue and restrained funds in the payment accounts associated with the Defendants. On April 13, 2020, this Court entered a Sealed Notice of Resetting Hearing. Pursuant to the Court's April 9, 2020 TRO, Plaintiffs properly served Defendants with a copy of the Complaint, the Court's April 9, 2020 TRO and April 13, 2020 Notice, and other filings in this matter. On April 23, 2020, the Court conducted a hearing on Plaintiffs' Motion, at which only counsel for Plaintiffs was in attendance
II. LEGAL STANDARD
To obtain a preliminary injunction, a party must demonstrate "(1) a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; (2) that irreparable injury will be suffered if the relief is not granted; (3) that the threatened injury outweighs the harm the relief would inflict on the non-movant; and (4) that entry of the relief would serve the public interest." Schiavo ex. rel Schindler v. Schiavo, 403 F.3d 1223, 1225-26 (11th Cir. 2005); see also Levi Strauss & Co. v. Sunrise Int'l. Trading Inc., 51 F.3d 982, 985 (11th Cir. 1995) (applying the test to a preliminary injunction in a Lanham Act case).
III. DISCUSSION
Based on declarations submitted in support of Plaintiffs' Motion, the Court concludes that Plaintiffs have a strong probability of proving at trial that consumers are likely to be confused by Defendants' advertisement, promotion, sale, offer for sale, or distribution of goods bearing counterfeits, reproductions, or colorable imitations of Plaintiffs' Marks, and that the products Defendants are selling and promoting for sale are copies of Plaintiffs' products that bear copies of Plaintiffs' Marks. The infringement of Plaintiffs' Marks will likely cause Plaintiffs' to suffer immediate and irreparable injury if a preliminary injunction is not granted. The following specific facts, as set forth in Plaintiffs' Complaint, Motion, and accompanying declarations, demonstrate that immediate and irreparable loss, damage, and injury will result to Plaintiffs and to consumers because it is more likely true than not that:
1. Defendants own or control e-commerce stores via Internet marketplace platforms or commercial Internet websites operating under their seller identification names and domain names which advertise, promote, offer for sale, and sell products bearing counterfeit and infringing trademarks in violation of Plaintiffs' rights; and
2. There is good cause to believe that more counterfeit and infringing products bearing Plaintiffs' Marks will appear in the marketplace; that consumers are likely to be misled, confused, or disappointed by the quality of these products; and that Plaintiffs may suffer loss of sales for their genuine products.
The potential harm to Defendants in restraining their trade in counterfeit and infringing branded goods if a preliminary injunction is issued is far outweighed by the potential harm to Plaintiffs, their reputations, and their goodwill as manufacturers and distributors of quality products, if such relief is not issued. The public interest favors issuance of the preliminary injunction to protect Plaintiffs' trademark interests and protect the public from being defrauded by the palming off of counterfeit goods as Plaintiffs' genuine goods. Further, under 15 U.S.C. § 1117(a), Plaintiffs may be entitled to recover, as an equitable remedy, the illegal profits gained through Defendants' distribution and sales of goods bearing counterfeits and infringements of Plaintiffs' Marks. See Levi Strauss & Co. v. Sunrise Int'l Trading Inc., 51 F.3d 982, 987 (11th Cir. 1995); Reebok Int'l, Ltd. v. Marnatech Enters., Inc., 970 F.2d 552, 558-63 (9th Cir. 1992). In light of the inherently deceptive nature of the counterfeiting business, and the likelihood that Defendants have violated federal trademark laws, Plaintiffs have good reason to believe Defendants will hide or transfer their ill-gotten assets beyond the jurisdiction of this Court unless those assets are restrained.
Accordingly, it is
ORDERED that Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction [DE 6] is GRANTED according to the terms set forth as follows:
(1) Each Defendant, its officers, directors, employees, agents, subsidiaries, distributors, and all persons in active concert or participation with any Defendant having notice of this Order are hereby restrained and enjoined until further Order of this Court:
a. From manufacturing, importing, advertising, promoting, offering to sell, selling, distributing, or transferring any products bearing Plaintiffs' Marks, or any confusingly similar trademarks, other than those actually manufactured or distributed by Plaintiffs; and
b. From secreting, concealing, destroying, selling off, transferring, or otherwise disposing of: (i) any products, not manufactured or distributed by Plaintiffs, bearing and/or using Plaintiffs' Marks, or any confusingly similar trademarks; (ii) any evidence relating to the manufacture, importation, sale, offer for sale, distribution, or transfer of any products bearing and/or using Plaintiffs' Marks, or any confusingly similar trademarks; or (iii) any assets or other financial accounts subject to this Order, including inventory assets, in the actual or constructive possession of, or owned, controlled, or held by, or subject to access by, any Defendant, including, but not limited to, any assets held by or on behalf of any Defendant.
(2) Each Defendant, its officers, directors, employees, agents, subsidiaries, distributors, and all persons in active concert or participation with any Defendant having notice of this Order shall immediately discontinue, until further Order of this Court, the use of Plaintiffs' Marks or any confusingly similar trademarks, on or in connection with all Internet based e-commerce stores and Internet websites owned and operated, or controlled by them, including the Internet based e-commerce stores and Internet websites operating under the Seller IDs and Subject Domain Names;
(3) Each Defendant, its officers, directors, employees, agents, subsidiaries, distributors, and all persons in active concert or participation with any Defendant having notice of this Order shall immediately discontinue, until further Order of this Court, the use of Plaintiffs' Marks, or any confusingly similar trademarks within metatags or other markers within website source code, from use on any webpage (including as the title of any web page), from any advertising links to other websites, from search engines' databases or cache memory, and any other form of use of such terms that are visible to a computer user or serves to direct computer searches to Internet based e-commerce stores and Internet websites registered, owned, or operated by any Defendant, including the Internet based e-commerce stores and Internet websites operating under the Seller IDs and Subject Domain Names;
(4) Each Defendant shall not transfer ownership of the Seller IDs and Subject Domain Names during the pendency of this action, or until further order of the Court;
(5) Each Defendant shall continue to preserve copies of all computer files relating to the use of any of the Seller IDs and Subject Domain Names and shall take all steps necessary to retrieve computer files relating to the use of the Seller IDs and Subject Domain Names that may have been deleted before the entry of this Order;
(6) Upon receipt of notice of this Order, Defendants and all financial institutions, payment processors, banks, escrow services, money transmitters, or marketplace platforms, including but not limited to, Alibaba.com Hong Kong Limited, which operates the AliExpress.com platform ("AliExpress"), Zhejiang Ant Small and Micro Financial Services Group Co., Ltd. ("Ant Financial Services"), AliPay (China) Internet Technology Co. Ltd. and Alipay.com Co., Ltd. (collectively, "Alipay"), Worldpay US, Inc. ("Worldpay"), ContextLogic, Inc., which operates the Wish.com website ("ContextLogic"), SIA Joom, which operates the Joom.com platform ("Joom"), and PayPal, Inc. ("PayPal"), and their related companies and affiliates shall, to the extent not already done, (i) immediately identify all financial accounts and/or sub-accounts, associated with the Internet based e-commerce stores and Internet websites operating under the Seller IDs and Subject Domain Names, and/or the e-mail addresses identified on Schedule "A" hereto, as well as any other accounts of the same customer(s); (ii) identify all other accounts which transfer funds into the same financial institution account(s) or any of the other financial accounts subject to this Order; (iii) restrain the transfer of all funds, as opposed to ongoing account activity, held or received for their benefit or to be transferred into their respective financial accounts, and any other financial accounts tied thereto; and (iv) immediately divert those restrained funds to a holding account for the trust of the Court;
(7) Upon receipt of notice of this Order, Defendants and all financial institutions, payment processors, banks, escrow services, money transmitters, and/or marketplace platforms, including but not limited to AliExpress, Ant Financial Services, Alipay, Worldpay, ContextLogic, Joom, and PayPal, and their related companies and affiliates, shall, to the extent not already done, provide Plaintiffs' counsel with all data that details (i) an accounting of the total funds restrained and identifies the financial account(s) and sub-account(s) which the restrained funds are related to, and (ii) the account transactions related to all funds transmitted into the financial account(s) and sub-account(s) which have been restrained. No funds restrained by this Order shall be transferred or surrendered by any financial institution, payment processor, bank, escrow service, money transmitter, or marketplace website, including but not limited to, AliExpress, Ant Financial Services, Alipay, Worldpay, ContextLogic, Joom, and PayPal, and their related companies and affiliates for any purpose (other than pursuant to a chargeback made pursuant to their security interest in the funds) without the express authorization of this Court;
(8) Any Defendant or financial institution account holder subject to this Order may petition the Court to modify the asset restraint set out in this Order;
(9) This Order shall apply to the Seller IDs and Subject Domain Names, associated e-commerce stores and websites, and any other seller identification names, e-commerce stores, websites, domain names, or financial accounts which are being used by Defendants for the purpose of counterfeiting Plaintiffs' Marks and/or unfairly competing with Plaintiffs;
(10) Pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 1116(d)(5)(D) and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c), Plaintiffs shall maintain their previously posted bond in the amount of Ten Thousand Dollars and Zero Cents ($10,000.00), as payment of damages to which Defendants may be entitled for a wrongful injunction or restraint, during the pendency of this action, or until further Order of the Court. In the Court's discretion, the bond may be subject to increase should an application be made in the interest of justice;
(11) Additionally, for the purpose of providing additional notice of this proceeding, and all other pleadings, orders, and documents filed herein, the owners, operators and/or administrators of the Internet marketplace website, financial institution, including but not limited to, including but not limited to, AliExpress, Alipay, ContextLogic, Joom, PayPal, and eBay.com, and their related companies and affiliates shall, at Plaintiffs' request, provide Plaintiffs' counsel with any e-mail address known to be associated with Defendants' respective Seller IDs;
(12) This Order shall remain in effect during the pendency of this action, or until such further date as set by the Court or stipulated by the parties.
DONE AND ORDERED in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this 23rd day of April, 2020.
/s/ _________
RODNEY SMITH
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE cc: counsel of record
SCHEDULE "A"
DEFENDANTS BY NUMBER, SELLER ID, SUBJECT DOMAIN NAME,
STORE NUMBER , ASSOCIATED PAYMENT ACCOUNT AND ADDITIONAL E-MAIL
Defendant Number Defendant / Seller ID / Subject Domain Name Store Number Payment Account / Additional E-mail Address 1 TATATADBG 5acc82081b98df74f444ee61 2 Supersonic E-commerce Ltd 56efbbb0ebdaac30d3833099 3 vtdkjghk 5d8b78320f02886e83f37509 4 Ftribe 579ee54a22d7310f855c6969 5 I ONLY SELL GOOD STUFF 5d4a6ffc22f30136bd99b5cb 6 jameshop2 5979ad0d15da074bf7bbf8b1 7 NANHAI666 5b386a44dce0401fa11b7b58 8 Patisa 5ab1e702823a3e079798900f 9 Qinmu 5ac5e163b722cf1bd7f40bc1 10 Sport Bluetooth Headset 5ca31b199f84ef3325a0a04c 11 stars in the ocean 5afd0ba3dce7e525b87154eb 12 Super Watermelon 58afcbdb01b7d9505766629b 13 suzhihuayan 5ae414682fbbdc0572ba8520 14 tfntz1 5b0942642c3c1d7bec507a1a 15 xiangwanggang 5b07e45d2c3c1d1c19d0942c 16 kevin2008 5964c685a26f6e7082570fcb 17 No.19 Store 58317673f327591b6fb6ee5a 18 zfyyouth0104 5a38a6a595646e4d7f5dcd86 19 Easyboom 5ad588d2823a3e469fac9b21 20 feixiangniao 5b8a47047e35a270158c456e 21 lucy jiayu 5d3fbbe68388973a7113cccd 22 zipingmama 5b8cacf37be5992262057b56 23 200 thousand one 5b929b9bddd79d3f136c1520 24 5 Star Top Store 58aab09413ceee502d30620a 25 Aaronw 566799b4f30fb130c94a511e 26 Abracadabra's Shop 58aaaa3385391350e047e340 27 Alien's Fashion Store 579705b321933e088e04bb60 28 amazing date store 58a99055a7a80b6f51ecdc0b 29 An umbrella for you 5affd0accfb44a6c164888e9 30 Anlanyu 5a01bf617b584e451f3c3abc 31 awaitsuce 5b9f3f41d357526369915151 32 aygxyyouth0106 5aa1f41d2fbbdc2564750876 33 aygxyyouth0108 5aa20062ddf45b1ae7a4ce1b 34 babadous 5799ed6a2b61d643e3c562ae 20 35 baobaoxiaomeifa 5aa91942c3911a068972b9c1 36 Carmen P. 58d77ab3310f19537bbe80f6 37 cheongsam 5972fa20866f281af199bae8 38 czyouth0133 59ddc2d7ef7b8979a887f300 39 czyouth0234 59e999023eb22a5636297f4d 40 dhyyouth0103 5a03ff3b0f193f5c8f2f6ef2 41 dhyyouth0138 5a03fc64ddda8c4c2ff1e20e 42 dinglingling 58b6b18082c4455060ac109a 43 djklxdhjk 5ad996a5ccf0c8665436585b 44 Dream Maker 2017 583fae6f96a74e4c8cc154aa 45 Finenglilys 5b8a19bd7e35a262e48c50b2 46 Forging Master 56627645bcf1802405a97c9d 47 friendlyhouse 566fc54d3a698c7e354d46a3 48 GK Fashion 57d24adfff06cb2d75db11a6 49 gooshelly 57a04a3e0f569936f0be1308 50 Green Bamboo Grove Hotel Articles 5b4af69314f3354213a7f5aa 51 GSLS 5abd970b22fad71d2e32e4ea 52 here is shop 566254ac2e0c3e2411d1ccb4 53 Hey Ian 56c70d61b7e25413742d4346 54 Hogwarts School 58cf827d9225295056b21a49 55 jetsun5022 5b6a9960b54eb621bae58d60 56 jiaxuechao 5b2c6f96337afb4ac77f7dd8 57 jinhonglongfang 5b0a3000c258692f82ffba3d 58 kangfei 5b87d981a3b4ea1779c89dbb 59 kekayigui 5af1155c5560e01ce1fa5645 60 King Cover Tiger 58ad2ee008de0c6e019d97b1 61 Lancy cui 5ac19a75a6bf7a0568ef7a57 62 Lbaodan 5c8c5fdb3d2ce13191b8ad87 63 leaderHC 5b8b79f69996c87b299c1e52 64 Left the shop 5ac76c2bc989495b9ec44ef9 65 LIJIANZ 5aafdb98972233590b43442f 66 Linda oven 5d510ddc933fb16bf0bb1e33 67 linhanhan 595479849579d83a22c28355 68 liuliul 5b8937716cff996825d949d1 69 LLLoottesy 5d41478f0ff7f947c0e24d61 70 longchenc 5b304d900f19c5190cc329dd 71 LUCKAA 5d4285e270327a66411eec25 72 Millionaire Agel Ecommerce Ltd 55efd7de655d3b427fa66340 21 73 Miss pudding Agel Ecommerce Ltd 565a970a4a29f91c477104ea 74 Mother huang 5922a575fc9cce6d5cb43a51 75 Mozart 55fa8ae77575fb52d0a2efaf 76 My Trend Fashion 57b6ada1b9acf507cd503cd1 77 MY Vogue Store 57b30ecdc7b88f18e4e898f7 78 nightstreet 582579c9a6e3f048a5a0a2df 79 Ningbo Millionaire Network Technology Co., Ltd. 591aa2f971a2f219d7083620 80 ningbo outsell 55779ab53cef831e02f69412 81 ningboshangbang 57a84c8683326770a3801643 82 ningzhongxiang654321 5af2a0c04327d118dbd63e74 83 pipixiadeai 5adeb9fa421595351d87dea4 84 popaduda 57c95630c5f14b1ffca4c744 85 Powerful my brother 58be8b7e6e114a50fc10c237 86 QVying 5b4c43a076cbe7226fd49ef0 87 qwerta 59489af3591b3f2cc7048016 88 renxingbenshan 5b7a2c73fbcfde166a3e61d3 89 Richman Electronic commerce co., LTD 55efe2f03a698c22f7316812 90 ruanzhenxia 5aa4eb3640626a42b026fab8 91 Running Go Go Go 58b90d4757159f510d51c46b 92 Samdigeolove 5aa0cfe7b722cf6e49381494 93 sanfori_003 5d3d5a8be13a7e141cf35c01 94 shalaxiyashishangnvzhuangd ian 5b21e3a47752c81d46b5d79e 95 shaoyong 5a9e4bd028a2b31210fe8242 96 ShiningStaring 59cb08a58ee78d5b5f4cfaaf 97 Sports Lovers From Afar 5cedf85ccf7af630cfe1ba2a 98 Sports station 5934dcc483eb5538469e11a6 99 sssszhiyuan 5b8e2a34fdcedd1993ecb977 100 TOTFASHION 57e62cf006036b63aada02f1 101 UFO SHOP1 584924f324aff94cd7084ab5 102 uwioncy 5b9261b31e174e25d91205f6 103 Vivian1 57bffb7d4b56d62350910e1d 104 vt91xnm 5ac1b775b722cf6dc12962a7 105 Walk into your heart Shop 5cd643e1111095038e3023cf 106 wangdongyang987 5abb6239b722cf6c270fbc3a 107 Wangxiningsi 5acdc249a6f62e108e20c9e8 108 wangyuming7864 5aba157eaac71f44ab920b8e 22 109 Wenzhou Jiangnan Leather Factory 58355998728de6185ec2bc2d 110 xiejian8 5b061d3f80e9f71979229874 111 xinyizips 5b0a15d7cdd39a16f89b86d0 112 XUELINhardworking 5aebd76f3b527c613637c673 113 xwhxixi 58cb84bf99cb236a955ee594 114 YANGYANGSH 5b87ba536cff9921bb86e51b 115 You Favorite Fashion 57ac4644663fcd1892733bc6 116 yuhuai 5d4faf967edfad21000a734b 117 Yyh 571b084891aaa15b08dccd52 118 zgszyouth0110 59f29be837f9f85fcdc55a7f 119 Zhang Liangbin's shop 5acd71389722332d1975ac73 120 zhangdiqqrs 5b840d3456f6fd1a8d0c9ad2 121 zjjryouth0166 59ddd285b2d3eb7176b52126 122 ABDC 58aa658221bbe75186ec1ca2 123 BAODANFU 5b6bbd49a12c8429a9e9f397 124 castle E-commerce 565d5d50675dec39fc92d271 125 czyouth0126 59ddc2fdd87bf13c0f3e295a 126 fgxunfsao546fasd 5ae4236dc2c892188a469173 127 funnycushion 5797135b141f7e7f794958c2 128 Gyroscope 58fb3d80c509bf4bf8097d7b 129 hansongtiaoliao 5b025c62eb411319e771bf9d 130 HGJNBMK 5d410ed570327a1c7900f54e 131 lujianjun 5d5dd5291d86292dcd231622 132 maoshanwang 57e6281886390902ab8652c2 133 nimengfu 5b4871bdecca4d3b25db80c2 134 pickhimup 589d56d23205e1583d3aeb39 135 sunyuting 58de51d7f7f46352f59f0d3d 136 afriansports 5d8ad09d0535554a481e2932 137 Boucheron 5d7895187034ab4e12f32881 138 gvvfff1 5aee95401c250003bdfbe734 139 hong cheng golf 5b6fb51dcfde143945d70987 140 Luoqun8502 5dfc9d243aff1115074f43c7 141 luxuryed 58c2a704ae99c6512e8d8f05 142 Maliye Mutuoheti 5e008a7dbd71d407802eee34 143 qintiansedgf3 5addb0c4ccf0c806beca8049 144 Xingyunfish Babyclothes 5e0080072092c4748840756d 145 zgszyouth0109 59f2a103448a5260dee5a23e 146 Canales 5d01ec8060a5fa03ec24580b 147 lingjiaxiaodian 5b3dc4010b220e1520bce766 23 148 wuxingolf 5c57dadc8be4db069766745f 149 Big Head33 58abd6dd8ae5be50ee924418 150 mmoyanjingpu 5b39cd3b47162f15de766600 151 molidong 5791afa7eaa14d63afb71846 152 suyansy121 5b72536759030b203b8b8d38 153 xiaorongying 5cf5f055c425452b3297e734 154 zhouyangsh 5a418fc595646e0be28653ce 155 zyhyouth0102 5b1e47e4daac45276beb91c7 156 Cr-Store 5ca30abd1436d4030167cba3 157 FLWContest 5af005688b4513038346e739 158 Golf flagship store 5d393c048b4513030100e000 159 Leonardo da Vinci 5af03aad1436d40316f101c6 160 Moon-nooM 5baaef4e1436d40362886aad 161 Pet-Baby 5c9a0d476ecda80301555955 162 Popular toy store 5b70da2f8b451303a2fc6a61 163 RRR-DaMAI 5c5248b38b2c3703011c4ea0 164 RU.AOLUNDO 5c9860546ecda80301b0471d 165 Sillly yee 5ba0a3de8b4513037770e77a 166 Small Decoration 5af657098b2c370319407d00 167 Style Trend 5b6cef558b2c3703bfd8d596 168 Super Grocery Store 5ba0a4501436d4032e1da52b 169 women fashion style shoes 5bac40788b4513038f406fc3 170 Alley oop 5b97310a8b4513030772db5c 171 RRR-Jchewang 5c5249b328fc71030101ff8e 172 FQQ 5cb5a0021436d40301040054 173 haleyhaley 5ba0a1e38b2c3703eb7cef43 174 Outdoor sporting goods store 5b70d9658b451303a2fc6703 175 Women All Bags 5bac46f91436d4033bd99be4 176 Champkey Global Technologies Store 2663117 177 Duncansports Store 5078045 178 HCgolf2019 Store 5067258 179 XLD Store 5373036 180 BYAVE Store 5384123 181 Canales Store 5064198 182 Floor price Store 5233012 183 HongChengSports Store 5255185 184 Hosskey Store 4529016 185 Mutually beneficial Store 5307002 186 Shop5252180 Store 5252180 24 187 Summitgolf Store 5415029 188 supergolf Store 3515005 189 wuxingolf Store 5205010 190 xinghegolf Store 5383117 191 ZXZGOLF Store 4990112 golfoso@outlook.com 192 Fun shopping8899 Store 4303047 193 GemDragonsports Store 5072189 194 Patteraless GolfSports Store 4866176 195 hongchenggolf Store 5051055 hcgolf12@126.com 196 KXG Official Store 4701116 daiyuan27@126.com 196 datang dragon Official Store 1198511 daiyuan27@126.com 196 GENERAL Official Store 4698042 daiyuan27@126.com 197 Shenzhen fashion supplies import and export co., LTD 1488314 chshm119@126.com 198 GREEN SEA SHOP Store 2729002 199 Ilovegolf Store 5001119 200 Jarry Grip Store 2343153 201 VICKY G GolfSports Store 4426035 202 PGM Store 1330216 m18903777183_3@163.com 297025451@qq.com 203 Geoleap golfgrips Store 4652147 376788101@qq.com 203 Internation golfgrips factory Store 3476016 376788101@qq.com 204 Yf Factory Two Store 4688122 773292063@qq.com 205 The grips Store 3859076 2374272678@qq.com 206 caketopper88 ysk841230@163.com 207 baixuebing2035 tfeo1694@163.com mhtsmipw@163.com 208 futunn futunn888@hotmail.com 209 haofei2034 tianyujiekw5@163.com 210 j98i11 kocw8613@163.com 211 kk100_golf KK100-golf@hotmail.com 212 sexyshop2009 sniper_2009@outlook.com 213 shucha4192 shucha419@163.com 214 56golf-sales moinancy04@msn.com 215 huangfengxian2011 famc8805@163.com 216 hxyhoo topmart@aliyun.com 217 mki989i jcip8528@163.com 218 vgolight 9ET263347 W062960X 219 gripsmarket.com 2374272678@qq.com 25 220 golfsalesland.com gamolainc@hotmail.com sales@golfsalesnow.com 221 miugolf.com sales@miugolf.com