P&P Imports LLC Wins Trade Dress Infringement Case Against Tailgating Pros

GoSports 3 Foot 4-In-A-Row Game ● Photo Credit: P&P Imports, LLC

IRVINE, Calif., February 20, 2024 (VSNewsNetwork.com) - In a significant legal battle over trade dress infringement, P&P Imports LLC, the company behind the popular GoSports brand, has secured a unanimous jury verdict against Johnson Enterprises LLC, operating as Tailgating Pros. The Central District of California ruled in favor of P&P Imports on February 12, 2024, awarding the company all profits earned by Tailgating Pros from the sale of infringing goods under case number 8:19-cv-00523-DOC-JDE.

The lawsuit centered on Tailgating Pros' sale of a product closely imitating P&P Imports' distinctive four-in-a-row game, including misrepresentations regarding the product's size and delivering a smaller, infringing product to consumers.

Represented by Haynes and Boone, LLP, with a legal team comprising Ken Parker, Jason Lao, Andrea Levenson, and P&P's General Counsel, Casey H. Kempner, P&P Imports detailed its journey from a 2007 startup to a leading designer of games and sporting goods. The trial team argued that Tailgating Pros' infringement was intentional, highlighting evidence that Tailgating Pros had purchased GoSports products and sent them to China to produce infringing copies, continuing sales even after P&P filed its complaint.

The jury found Tailgating Pros liable for intentional trade dress infringement, rejecting their defense of innocence presented by Fox Rothschild LLP. Casey H. Kempner remarked on the verdict's significance, stating, "This verdict sends a clear message to infringers that deliberate copying of a competitor that results in consumer confusion will not be tolerated."

P&P Imports' co-founders, Peter Tanoury and Peter Engler, expressed their satisfaction with the jury's decision, emphasizing the case's importance beyond financial restitution. Tanoury noted, "This case transcended mere financial losses; it was about taking a stand against the deliberate infringement of intellectual property, which ultimately harms consumers." Engler added, "Healthy competition fosters innovation. The infusion of misleading knockoffs into the market harms everyone."

The verdict is seen as a victory for intellectual property rights and consumer protection, underscoring the legal system's role in addressing and deterring trade dress infringement.

For more information, visit www.pandpimports.com.

Source: P&P Imports, LLC via Newswire