Viacom Int'l, Inc. v. Ijr Capital Invs., L. L.C.
| Decision Date | 22 May 2018 |
| Docket Number | No. 17-20334,17-20334 |
| Citation | 891 F.3d 178 |
| Parties | VIACOM INTERNATIONAL, Incorporated, Plaintiff–Appellee, v. IJR CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, L.L.C., Defendant–Appellant. |
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Fifth Circuit |
Stephen Paul Meleen, Tyson David Smith, Pirkey Barber, P.L.L.C., Austin, TX, for Plaintiff–Appellee.
Karen Bryant Tripp, Esq., Christopher F. Schaefer, Houston, TX, for Defendant–Appellant.
Before REAVLEY, SMITH, and OWEN, Circuit Judges.
Viacom International, Inc. (Viacom) sued IJR Capital Investments, L.L.C. (IJR) for infringing on its common law trademark of The Krusty Krab—a fictional restaurant in the popular "SpongeBob SquarePants" animated television series—after IJR took steps to open seafood restaurants using the same name. The district court granted summary judgment to Viacom on its trademark infringement and unfair competition claims. IJR appeals, asserting that Viacom does not have a valid trademark for The Krusty Krab and that its seafood restaurants would not create a likelihood of confusion between the two marks. We affirm the judgment of the district court.
In 1999, Viacom launched the animated television series "SpongeBob SquarePants" on its Nickelodeon network. The show revolves around SpongeBob SquarePants, a sea sponge that wears square shorts, lives in an underwater pineapple, and works at the fictional The Krusty Krab restaurant as a fry cook with an array of characters including a cranky co-worker and the owner of The Krusty Krab. The show has become the most-watched animated television series for 15 consecutive years, with over 73 million viewers in the second quarter of 2016 alone. While the audience is predominately comprised of children, one-third of all viewers are 18 or older.
The fast food restaurant The Krusty Krab played a prominent role in the pilot episode of the series and has appeared in 166 of 203 episodes. The Krusty Krab was featured in two "SpongeBob SquarePants" feature films that grossed $470 million (and incurred $197 million in promotional expenses). The Krusty Krab Restaurant is also an element of Viacom's mobile app "SpongeBob Moves In" (seven million global downloads), appears in a play called The SpongeBob Musical , and is frequently mentioned in the franchise's advertisements and online outreach (approximately seven million page views across platforms per week). The press has referenced The Krusty Krab many times when discussing the show.
The Krusty Krab is also licensed to third parties for a variety of products. These licensed products include: licensed Krusty Krab playsets from Just Play, Mattel, The LEGO Company, and Mega Brands, Inc. ($1.4 million in royalties since 2009), the video game "SpongeBob SquarePants Creature from The Krusty Krab" (over one million units), The Krusty Krab aquarium accessories (187,000 units), reusable franchise-themed stickers of The Krusty Krab, The Krusty Krab shirts sold at The SpongeBob Store at Universal Studios, Florida, and more. Viacom has never attempted to license The Krusty Krab mark to a restaurant. However, Viacom's subsidiary company Paramount Pictures Corporation did license Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for seafood restaurants based on the fictional business from the 1994 movie "Forrest Gump."
In 2014, IJR's owner, Javier Ramos, decided to open seafood restaurants in California and Texas. Ramos asserts that he was describing the crusted glaze applied to cooked seafood when his friend Ivan Murillo suggested naming the restaurant Crusted Crab, which quickly became The Krusty Krab. Both Murillo and Ramos deny having considered SpongeBob during this conversation, however Murillo has since stated that those who see the name may think of the restaurant from "SpongeBob SquarePants." Also, an IJR investor mentioned SpongeBob "out of the blue" while discussing the restaurant. Ramos said that he first became aware of the fictional restaurant from "SpongeBob SquarePants" when he performed a search using Google to determine if there were restaurants with a name similar to The Krusty Krab.
Because Ramos's search did not find an actual restaurant that used the mark, IJR filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for THE KRUSTY KRAB. Viacom had not previously registered The Krusty Krab mark. The USPTO approved IJR's mark and published the application for opposition. Viacom did not oppose at this time, and the USPTO issued a notice of allowance for the mark authorizing issuance once IJR filed a statement of use.
Beyond filing an intent-to-use trademark application, IJR also developed a business plan for potential investors in The Krusty Krab. The business plan included a logo for the restaurant and described the eatery as a "Cajun seafood restaurant" that would sell shrimp, crawfish, and po-boys. IJR intended to target families, singles, and students through print, radio, and online advertisements. The business plan makes no reference to the SpongeBob franchise or the fictional restaurant The Krusty Krab. IJR also purchased four domain names for the restaurant concept, leased property in California, and procured restaurant equipment.
In November 2015, Viacom sent a cease-and-desist letter that demanded the withdrawal of IJR's trademark application and alleged infringement of The Krusty Krab mark. IJR promptly responded, declining to cease use and asserting that Viacom does not actually use The Krusty Krab as a trademark and that there was no likelihood of consumer confusion. However, IJR postponed opening any restaurants. Viacom then filed suit in January 2016.
Viacom asserted nine claims against IJR including unfair competition under the Lanham Act and trademark infringement under Texas common law. The complaint included allegations that IJR's use of the mark in connection with restaurant services was likely to cause, or to have caused, confusion or mistake and to have deceived potential customers, causing them to believe that the services offered by IJR were affiliated with, sponsored by, or connected with Viacom; use of the mark would materially influence customers' purchasing decisions for restaurant services; and as a result, Viacom suffered and would continue to suffer damages to its goodwill and reputation.
Viacom commissioned a consumer survey and an expert report by Dr. Edward Blair. The survey found that 30% of respondents thought The Krusty Krab was connected with Viacom and 35% of respondents associated the hypothetical restaurant with Viacom. IJR filed a Daubert motion to exclude Dr. Blair's report and testimony—alleging it was flawed—and Viacom filed a motion for summary judgment on eight of its nine claims.
The court held a hearing on the motions and denied IJR's motion to exclude Dr. Blair's report. The district court then granted, in part, Viacom's summary judgment motion on its common law trademark infringement and Lanham Act unfair competition claims. The district court held that: Viacom established ownership of the mark through sales and licensing; Viacom demonstrated that The Krusty Krab has acquired distinctiveness; and every likelihood-of-confusion factor indicated IJR's proposed use would probably cause confusion. Viacom then requested that the district court dismiss its other seven claims with prejudice and enter final judgment. The district court did so, and IJR appealed.
A trademark infringement action under Texas common law is analyzed in the same manner as a Lanham Act claim.1
For Viacom to prevail on these claims, it must show (1) that it owns a legally protectable mark in The Krusty Krab and (2) that IJR's use of the mark creates a likelihood of confusion as to source, affiliation, or sponsorship.2
IJR contends that the district court erred in granting summary judgment for Viacom. We review de novo a district court's grant of summary judgment.3 IJR specifically asserts that there are genuine issues of material fact as to whether Viacom owns a legally protectable mark and whether there is a likelihood of confusion between the two The Krusty Krab marks.
A trademark infringement action cannot be sustained unless the mark is legally protectable.4 While Viacom has never registered The Krusty Krab mark, the Supreme Court has held that the Lanham Act "protects qualifying unregistered marks."5 The Lanham Act provides that the term "trademark" includes "any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof" that is used or intended to be used "to identify and distinguish" one's goods "from those manufactured or sold by others."6 Viacom's mark is legally protectable if it establishes ownership by demonstrating that it uses The Krusty Krab as a source identifier.7 Often this court has bypassed the use inquiry and conducted only a distinctiveness analysis.8 However, the two issues are separate questions,9 and because the use-as-a-source-indicator requirement is at issue in this case Viacom must establish both use and distinctiveness.10 We first consider the use of The Krusty Krab mark. Whether Viacom actually uses The Krusty Krab as a source identifier is a question of fact.11
While registration of a mark is "prima facie evidence of ... the registrant's ownership of the mark,"12 ownership "is established by use, not by registration."13 An ownership right "accrues when goods bearing the mark are placed on the market."14 Viacom's mark clearly appears on goods in the market, such as The Krusty Krab playsets and aquarium ornaments. The question in this case, however, is whether Viacom uses The Krusty Krab to indicate origin15 because the purpose of trademark law is to "prevent[ ] competitors from copying ‘a source-identifying mark.’ "16
Before we assess whether Viacom uses The Krusty Krab as a source identifier, we address a threshold question: Can specific elements from within a television show—as opposed to the title of the show itself—receive trademark protection? We conclude that they can. While this court has never explored this precise...
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